Piouso Resurrection
by Vanessa St. Cloud
Summary: (Completed!) Jessie and James have angered Giovanni for the last time, so he's giving them one chance to redeem themselves. Sadly, only one gets to live and James is dealt cards in his life he never dreamed possible with destiny and love. Misty/James!
1. Ch. 1-The Choices We Make

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of "Pokemon," but I own Piouso and Joy's boyfriend **__**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of "Pokemon," but I own Piouso and Joy's boyfriend. Oh yes, I give everyone who has started to read major huge apologies, I was real tired when putting this story up and thought I only put up the prologue, and oops, I put up the ending. I am real sorry everyone. I'll start from the beginning here, I apologize to everyone I ruined the ending for. 

Piouso Resurrection

**_Chapter 1_**

The Choices We Make

"Imbeciles! Nitwits! I gave you such a simple assignment, and after two years all you have to show for it are a Victrebell and a Lickatung! Common Pokemon weaklings, you morons! I specifically said rare, and in mass quantities! And those two losers are all you can bring me!?" Giovanni screamed. 

Jessie and James just stood stock still in front of their boss, Team Rocket members all around them. None of them looked happy, all angry, some malicious, but one thing remained the same. They were all armed.

Jessie still had her Team Rocket uniform on, a little disheveled from being yanked out of her room. James on the other hand was halfway into his shirt, one sleeve empty and his hand sticking out of the bottom of his shirt, holding one of his boots. He didn't have his gloves on either, making him look all the more ridiculous than his partner.

"It's not our fault, boss. It was Ash and his stupid friends….and we weren't given any Pokemon to aid Weezing and Arbok in battle." Jessie interjected.

"Shut up! I you saying I'm to blame, Jessica?! You're lucky you even got into Team Rocket. If it hadn't been for me, you'd still be worthless flunkies with shoe prints on your rears from Pokemon Technical. That's why I am firing the both of you, effective immediately! Butch and Cassidy had better results than you two losers!" he shouted, rising from his chair so swiftly, his Persian even jumped away.

"Meaning?" James squeaked at last, his emerald green eyes getting wide as they moved from each member's weapons. 

"We can't afford you morons telling the authorities about where we are and all of our members' identities. And I don't feel like paying for lifetime imprisonment for the both of you, so I'd rather we just shoot you and make it easy for the team."

"Shoot us?! Boss! Come on, give us a break! Please!" they screamed, both cowering and shooting their sights at all the guns. "You didn't let me finish. Listen up because I will only say this once. I'm a reasonable man, so I will give you one more chance. My sources located an island near Sunny Town a while back, with some rare and common Pokemon. I know you aren't familiar with it, but neither is anyone else. Clouded in fog and surrounded by deadly reefs. A no name place, simply because no one wants to bother taking risks. It has some ruins scattered about the place, nothing that hasn't been ransacked by my team already. A very private place."

"You wanted us to get you some Pokemon from there. Then we can live, right?" Jessie asked, her hands clinging together tightly. Giovanni smirked, sitting back down and petting his Persian as it slunk back to his feet.

"No, one of you gets to live. You two have been working together for a while and I still get no results. One of you has got to go….the hard way. Whoever brings the best Pokemon back to the shore they were left on within 24 hours lives. If you fail to catch anything, well, I'll be short two bullets. Any questions?" he asked, his eyes suddenly bored.

"When do we leave?" Jessie piped, James nodding after he pulled his arm through his sleeve.

"Right now. Butch! Take James to the western shore. Cassidy! Jessie goes to the Eastern Shore. Wait there until they come back or the 24 hours runs down. We'll fetch whoever fails. Oh, you can only bring Weezing and Arbok along, I don't want you to have too much defending you if either of you gets a thought about cutting out before your time is up. Get them out of my sight. 24 hours, you've got watches like everyone else, I'd keep my eye on it if I were you." Giovanni ordered, the clicking of guns echoing throughout the large room.

He gave a look of dismay as they were taken out, James jamming on his boot and falling on his face as he left. Butch groaned and grabbed him up by his pants, dragging the lavender blue-haired young man out the door behind the women.

"I can just hear those two shell casings hit the pavement." Giovanni sighed, then began laughing, his disciples soon joining him.

~

****

"Just my luck. All I have is my Weezing, and not a bit of food since this morning. These stupid trees don't have anything but flowers on them, no fruit, no nuts. How can the Pokemon stand such torture? Ten hours already and I'm going crazy!" James groaned, now with his shirt tied about his head. The sun was killing him. Even Sunny Town wasn't this hot, but this island was covered with tropical trees and warm soil. His feet were starting to cook with each agonizing step.

Food and heat was all he was complaining about now, but not as much as he would normally. His life and Jessie's were on the line, complaining would only waste time and it was running out. He hadn't seen any of these Pokemon Giovanni had been talking about, but he didn't doubt their existence.

He stubbed his toe on a rock as he tried to increase his pace, steadying himself on one of the trees. He waited a moment, then started laughing. He'd expected Jessie to call him a klutz and that he was slowing them down, but it never came.

"Hah, forgot Jessie isn't here. One good thing about being alone is no one can yell at me," he chuckled to himself, starting to jog away from the area," Shut up James, and move faster. Your necks are on the slab for real now. Nothing's gonna stop me. Nothing…." 

He'd made good progress through the tropical forest, sadly without a single encounter with any Pokemon. James was tempted to complain, but held it in. He was the only one who would hear it, so there was no point. He could say it in his head as easily as breathing.

He kept moving, the sky growing darker as night came into full bloom, the flowers in the trees closed and dripping with moisture. Tiny drops of the stuff fell onto James' head, soaking into his shirt and hair. The night was hot nonetheless, more than James could stand. The shirt he wore under his Team Rocket uniform was black and sleeveless, nothing extravagant or stylish, but it showed off his slim arms and allowed some cooling.

James didn't normally show his arms to anyone unless the disguise he wore forced him too. He sighed at the thought, and went on. "Too embarrassed about your tiny muscles, you coward. I can't even become head of Team Rocket now, they'll kill Jessie either way. We've been together since Pokemon Technical. This won't be the end of Jessie and James," he griped, pushing some vines aside," We're only 18, this is no time for dying. Not by a long shot, Giovanni. You're cracked if you think we're going to go down quietly."

"All right!" a voice shouted, the loud titter of birds and their flapping wings filling the air. James knew it all to well. He'd been with Jessie a long time, he couldn't fathom what kind of friend he would be if he'd forgotten her voice. "Hmm, she must have found some Pokemon. Hey, if she found one, there must be some where she is. Yes! James is blasting off to fame!" he said happily, starting to run towards Jessie's happy cries.

It didn't take him a long time to find her running away from some ruins, but she wasn't headed in his direction. She was headed east, back towards where she was dropped off. She had Arbok slithering closely after her, hissing its name repeatedly as it tried to keep up with her. There was also a Pokeball in her hand, her laughter and self-love glittering about her body.

"I did it! I'm not gonna die! I'm not gonna die! Yes! I'm gonna live! Yaaah hooo!!!!" she shouted, jumping up and down before she disappeared through the darkened forest, Arbok following her lead steadily. Soon, her voice was but a whisper, getting fainter and fainter the longer he stood in the brush, then nothing.

"She….but we agreed we'd always help each other. Why? Why didn't she call out to me….we're partners….aren't we?" he said quietly, stepping out at last.

He looked at the ruins a moment, then at where Jessie had been headed, then back again. "Maybe she was just excited to catch one here. That must be it, she got excited and forgot. There's probably plenty of Pokemon in there….but….if I catch a better Pokemon….They'll shoot Jessie and if I don't, I get shot. God, what am I gonna do? I don't want to die, but I don't want Jessie to die either. Oh, James, just go in there and look. Maybe Giovanni overlooked something, something worth sparing both our lives….I hope." He assured himself, walking towards the crumbling ruins of what looked like a temple.

The light was poor inside, but it was nothing he couldn't handle, or the things he'd smuggled in his shirt before Butch had taken him to the island.

He pulled out a pack of matches he'd taped to the inside of his shirt and pulled a branch off one of the nearby trees. He tore some of the fabric away from his black shirt and tied it round the end of the branch, then lit it.

James went inside the old temple slowly, the torch in front of him, his keen emerald eyes peering through the silent shadows.

The inside was pretty filthy, littered with pieces of shattered stone, weeds from beneath the stone floors strangling the ancient walls with their vines and dust covered roots. James leapt up as a few stones fell to the floor, grabbing his chest with his free hand. 

"Stupid, you'd think everything is out to get you. Heh, I'd be surprised though if that happened. Giovanni wouldn't waste over a dollar to get me. Why does he have to kill one of us anyway? To test our loyalty? Or is this just some sadistic game he likes to play? Ah, I never would have joined if this is my retirement plan." He said harshly, continuing on his way through the shadowy maze.

Several twists and turns greeted him as he explored the place, the hours going by with them. He knew his time was up by now and Jessie and Cassidy were probably back at headquarters. 

__

Jessie.

James sighed loudly, plowing on with his head slowly lowering. He had never thought it would have ended like this, that he would have been handed such a lousy hand in life. If he'd known his luck was going to be this poor for 18 years, he would have gladly jumped off a cliff and saved himself a life of misery and humiliation in those last ten seconds.

Still, James couldn't turn back the clock and get back those wasted years, he couldn't change Giovanni's mind either. Once that man had his mind set about something, there was no making him think otherwise. 

"I hate you, Giovanni. No, you didn't make me this way, stupidity did. Believing get rich quick schemes and all those petty thefts would pay off….I was a fool to believe I'd get anything out of Team Rocket. Giovanni would have gotten all the glory and money and me and Jessie would have went on getting a paycheck each month. Argh! I hate my life. I hate it! I hate it! I h…." he screamed, then a rumbling interrupted him. His whole body was taken in by the shaking, the pebbles and rocks on the temple floor bouncing around like jumping beans.

Soon, the floor started to give way, crumbling under his feet. 

"Oh dear." He yelped, screaming as his body fell into the darkness below him for what seemed like an eternity. James clawed and kicked as he went spiraling down into the seemingly endless abyss, desperate to stop his decent. 

His stomach started to swish inward, toiling with sickness, his eyes welling up with dirt and tears, the cold air stinging at his face. James went on screaming, his lungs ready to burst, until he saw a river far below him, rolling and crashing violently in its underground sanctuary. He gulped in all the breath his sore lungs could take, slamming his mouth and eyes shut as he crashed through the raging underground river.

~

James' head hurt as he woke up. His feet itched and his body was flooded with soreness. As he tried to reach for them, his hands stopped short. He tried to move his legs, but they wouldn't budge either.

'Open your eyes, dummy. Open them!' he mentally urged himself. His eyes struggled to open, tight with a burning pain, breaking open at last to a blinding light. Then his eyes adjusted to it after a few moments, his vision clearing steadily. 

At first he thought he was dead, the sparkling light showering above him on silvery wings. The more he stared at it, the less he started believing he'd passed on. The glowing, winged thing began to fly down towards him, sparkles of light surrounding it like some surreal halo.

Soon it was hovering directly above him, a golden bird with long, flowing plumes of tail feathers, arching its thin head at him. He'd seen pictures of this creature in Pokemon Centers, derived from ancient tablets found in ruins like the one he was trapped in. There was no given name for it, no one had ever caught one. It had only been seen by people of ancient times and sketched by them in stone. He'd never thought he'd be so lucky as to see such a marvel of the Pokemon species in his lifetime. 

James was so in awe of the creature, he didn't notice other creatures milling about him. All he could do was smile at the sparkling bird and stare. Then he felt a pinch in his wrists and ankles. He yelped as the pinching grew more intense, forcing his sore head to turn from side to side to see what was hurting him.

It was a group of other Pokemon, common ones like a few Charmanders, a Krabby and a couple of Clefairies, all tightening the ropes that bound him to a stone table. It was pretty shabby looking from what he could see, the corners broken off and crumbling still, cracks on the top and the floors about it. 

He looked back at the Pokemon, who were no longer touching him, only watching him with tired eyes. Normally these species would have looked more adorable and vibrant, but they weren't. All of the Charmanders were dirty and hungry looking, very weak, the flames on their tails nearly going out with every small breath they took. The Krabby's shell was a bit cracked and worn, as were its claws. Its legs look like they were about to give way any second, shaking and clattering rapidly to keep its body up.

The Clefairies looked even worse, dirt spattered and old looking, bags under their tiny black eyes. He had to bet they'd never seen a Pokemon Center in ages, or anything else for that matter. He knew wild Pokemon could take care of themselves if they were in the right environment and with their own kind, but these poor creatures were far below the surface, the river probably their only source of nutrition. They were out of their element, nothing to help them evolve or get stronger, just the river, dust and these ruins. He was surprised they hadn't died long before now.

"Char….Charmander, Cha, Char, Char." One of the Charmanders spouted, in a small voice. The voice wasn't bouncy or cute like James remembered Ash's once was. It was hoarse and grating, as if from disuse, and he saw that a few of its teeth were missing as it spoke.

He didn't know what it said. James had never raised a Charmander, only his Weezing and Victreebell. All he could do was lay there and listen, turning his head back to the sparkling bird as it flew back up high to the ceiling, chirping out a beautiful melody as the other Pokemon started to talk.

It was almost like a whispered chant, none of which he could understand. He was human, not Pokemon, it took a while to understand each Pokemon you had and all he could understand was his own, not these.

The chanting went on, and the sparkling from the great bird started to fill the room with a gentle blue shine. Then the table he was on started to match the color, shining a light back up to the bird.

'I am so dead. Their gonna vaporize me….no, they're cooking me, that's why they look so hungry. I'm dinner! Stupid, stupid, stupid! James, why do you always get into these messes?! This is one that I'm not getting out of. Oh God, no!' his mind screamed.

"NO! Stop it, please! Leave me alone! Uh….I taste terrible! Trust me, even a Victreebell spit me out and they have great taste. Please! I'd rather be shot than eaten!!" he screamed out, but the creatures went on chanting, their voices starting to rise and echo throughout the room. 

His ears hurt now, his chest burned, infecting his body like a virus. Soon he could no longer move, his voice lost to him and the pain taking him over. The great sparkling blueness filled his senses once more, the form of the great bird and other Pokemon melding in with it, their voices becoming one. The languages merged in his head, his chest getting hotter and hotter, his mind spinning. He forced himself to take it, not to give up.

__

Jessie…….._why???????????_

~

Jessie and Cassidy stood stiffly in the speedboat, Jessie grinning smugly at her frowning driver. "I told you I could do it, you bimbo. Never underestimate my abilities again, Cassidy. Now you know I'm the best, not to mention the most beautiful. Hahahahahahaaaa." Jessie bragged, shoving her Pokeball repeatedly in Cassidy's frowning face.

"So what piece of trash Pokemon did you manage to sneak up on anyway, Jessica? Something weak and worthless I bet." Cassidy hissed out through gritted teeth. 

"Hah, you wish. I got myself a Charmander. Stupid, sure they are, but they are stronger than that ball of hair you call your Pokemon. Giovanni will have to let me live now." Jessie shot back, unfazed by her remarks.

"So I guess you decided to ditch your idiot partner at last, eh Jessie? Knowing him, he couldn't catch a Caterpie if the thing was sleeping out in the open in a cage. Glad you decided thinking about number one, even if he aged you more than you let on." Cassidy snickered.

"Uh….yeah, well how much time is left anyway for him? I won't have to watch him….well, you know, get fired or anything? I don't dig that kind of stuff like you weirdoes do." Jessie mumbled.

"Feeling a bit guilty, Jessica? Hmm? Doesn't matter, times been up for about six hours and Butch radioed me that he never came back. The moment we get back to headquarters, Giovanni will send a few members to get him. They'll leave his body there, nice and quiet, no mess, no pain. He'll never know he died. We still have to waste more time to track him down and ….heh, heh, fire him, but its well worth it to get rid of one stooge today. Doesn't that sound nice, Jessie dear?" Cassidy cackled.

"Yeah, we'll see, Cassie. We'll see, don't underestimate him. We are both dedicated to this group equally. He might have found a Charmander too and couldn't make it back in time. Giovanni can't kill us both if we have the same thing." Jessie said, a little too quickly.

"No, then we'll bring you there and you two can battle. Whoever wins, heh, lives. And then the loser breathes their last. Trust me, kid, only one of you gets to live. No matter what." Cassidy grinned.

Jessie looked at her sternly and started to say something, when she heard a loud explosion, the sky filling with light that shot far ahead of them. Jessie whipped her body around, gasping harshly. "The island! Its….Its…."

"It exploded! From the middle by looking at it, what a mushroom cloud!" Cassidy shouted.

Jessie looked back at her, seeing she was still looking at the decimated island, a puzzled expression on her face. "What is it? Did Giovanni house explosives there?"

"No, he just went there for vacations, a safe haven for him if Team Rocket were ever infiltrated. No one knew about the island, so he had no need for explosives there. And even if he did, there would have to be a million flash bombs and grenades to make a mushroom cloud at all. A warhead maybe, but he has no access to nuclear weapons. Well, not yet anyway." Cassidy sped on, pushing the boat's throttle up. She slapped the radio in Jessie's hand as the boat picked up speed, almost flying over the water like a rocket.

"Get the boss on the horn. Tell him what happened. Now!" Cassidy ordered.

Jessie nodded quickly and fiddled with the frequency dial for a moment. "Boss, come in please. This is Jessie, there has been an explosion on the island. Over." She rang out, then after a few moments, Giovanni's voice came across the radio.

"Explosion? There are no explosives on the island. Are you sure? What does it look like? Over." he demanded.

"A mushroom cloud, sir. Something on the island caused a massive explosion in the heart of the island, we don't know what. It just happened, but it only on the island. Over." She told him.

There was a long pause before Giovanni said anything, so long that Jessie began to think he'd hung up after a while.

She jumped with a start as his voice came out again. "Is James with Butch? Over."

"Uh, no….sir. He never made it back to the boat on time. Butch is on his way back to headquarters. James….was still on the island. What should we do? Over." she asked quietly.

"All of you are to come back to headquarters immediately. I will send a team back to the island to search for him now. If he's alive….it won't be for long. Over and out."

"But sir!…Tsk, darn, he cut me off. Now what?" Jessie groaned.

"Now we do as we were told. Back to headquarters and back to work." Cassidy snapped.

Jessie had no choice but to comply, slumping down on the floor of the boat, staring out at the still smoking island, watching it grow smaller and smaller as they whisked across the calm seas.

~

Jessie had been in her quarters on the bed staring at a photo of her, James and Meowth smiling together on her nightstand when Giovanni came to see her. He had a small cardboard box in his hands. "Did they shoot him already? Is that what you came to tell me?" she said calmly, holding back a sniffle. 

"No. We couldn't find a his body. But….we found this." He offered, reaching into the box and pulled out a torn, charred shirt with a red "**R**" plastered on it. It was burnt terribly, but a few bits of its white fabric still showed. There was blood encrusted on the sleeves, all of it torn and shredded beyond belief.

"The team found it floating in a small river very close to the where the explosion came from. He saved us the trouble of killing him….but the island has been ruined because of it. He was probably vaporized the second you heard the explosion, he probably never felt a thing. But, that's not the reason I'm here," Giovanni said, stuffing the charred shirt back in the box," I'm here to tell you that you'll be working solo for a while until I can find a suitable partner for you. Your assignment should ready before tomorrow morning. Meowth is going stay here though, he's too weak and needs to be trained better than before to evolve. A talking Persian might be worth something….and make him a far better ally than before. Now wait here until someone brings your assignment down. "

He smiled at her, as malicious as ever, cold and demanding. She smiled back, matching it as best she could. "Certainly, sir. I'll wait here until my assignment is ready for me. Is that all?"

Still smiling, he replied," Yes, Jessie. I always knew you'd see things my way. Your future here will be bright indeed without James around. Brighter than you can imagine." He left her there after that, chuckling as he entered the hall

"Bright….yep, very bright. Brighter than James'. *sigh* Guess you got your freedom before me, I suppose I knew it would be you. You never really did know what you wanted to do really, being rich is fine, but you never knew how to do it. You never had a plan," she said aloud," You never told me what you wanted to do. You….you're dead, James. You lost."

She looked back at her nightstand to the picture of her, James and Meowth sitting there with their frozen grins trapped in time staring back at her. She picked it up, clenching it tightly in her quivering hands. "Good-bye James. Guess it wasn't meant to be after all. I can't….believe it's happened, but….it has. You're gone….and I have to accept that. I should have called out, but….either way, we would have lost each other. Better….God….Better you than me!" she wept, throwing the picture across the room, the glass shattered on impact.

She lifted up her new Pokeball and tossed it towards the same wall. "Charmander! Go!"

"Char….urk!….Char!" it yelped weakly. The thing had been sleeping when she'd caught it, or had been too weak and malnourished to move. It didn't matter, she had caught it anyway. "Charmander, flame-thrower that picture. Make it into ashes and you'll get all the food and medicine you can stand." She told it, its eyes perking up at her words.

It nodded weekly and unleashed its flame-thrower attack on the shattered picture until it was nothing more than a black stain on the steel floor. "Good Charmander. Now return," She said, holding its Pokeball up, bringing it back inside," As soon as the assignment comes, I'll get you all fixed up. Then I can get my Lickatongue back. A new life for us all. You'll see, no more screw-ups, no more Pikachu chasing. Just simple assignments, at last."

~

The beaches of Sunny Town were calm and bright, the soft sand cool in the dawn light. Most Sunny Town citizens were sensible and still sleeping, not yet ready for the daily workday or to leave their world of dreams. 

Most of them anyway.

All but two sleep, Nurse Joy and her boyfriend Maxwell, both out enjoying an early morning jog and a dazzling sunrise glittering across the tranquil ocean beyond the shore.

"Isn't this fun, Max? That fresh sea air, the soft sand….Mmmm, makes me want to buy house on the beach. How about you?" Joy said happily, her white jogging suit flapping with her pink hair in the breeze.

Maxwell laughed, his own dark blue jogging suit pushed back against the wind. "Yeah or at least going for a swim, alone with someone special. Maybe after her shift is over tonight? Hmm?" he teased.

"Oh Max, I'd love to. That's so sweet of y….Oh dear Lord! Max look!" she shouted, sprinting ahead of him.

Max followed her rapid stride, his eyes meeting with what she was running towards. It was a boy face down in the water, his shoulder length hair covered in seaweed and muck and his clothes torn in several places.

Joy was pulling him out, flipping him over on his back, picking the filth off of him. The boy's hair looked like it was indigo, maybe lavender blue, Max couldn't really tell with what little light they had. "He's not breathing, but he has a pulse. I'm going to try CPR. You know how to do that too, right?" Joy said suddenly.

"Yeah. Sure I do." He chuckled, getting down on knees. "Great, you pump his chest when my mouth leaves his. Ok. Here we go." She spouted, pinching the boy's nose shut and breathing down into him.

Max did as he was told, pressing his palms into the prone boy's chest, his cold bruised face as still as the air around them. "Keep going. He's still got a pulse." Joy urged, breathing down into him again.

They went on giving the boy CPR for at least five more minutes before his body jerked, a gurgling sound coming from his throat. Joy and Max pulled back quickly as water erupted from his mouth. Joy turned him on his side, letting him cough up the rest of the sea water, his voice filled with pain, a sad whimper forcing its way out as the water left him fully.

"Are you all right, kid? What happened to you?" Max asked him, patting his shoulder. The boy rolled back over, his eyes focusing on Joy first, then to Max, then back again. "Boating….accident. People….tried to kill me. Please….it hurts." He gagged out, the voice soft and deep. "Max, I'll stay with him, you go call an ambulance. Quickly, please." Joy said, cradling the boy in her arms.

"Boy, this is the most exciting date we've ever been on, honey. I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow morning." Max chuckled, running off down the beach. Joy watched him go until he disappeared over the horizon. 

"Don't worry, we run this beach every morning. There's a phone just ten minutes from here. You're going to be fine. Then we can contact your parents." She coaxed, but the boy tensed up, his face twisting with pain. "No….no parents. I don't….ohhh….have anyone. Just….my Weezing. That's….that's all. No one else." He rasped out, his cold hands suddenly wrapped around her arm.

"You poor thing, an orphan. Well, don't you worry. We'll find help for you, I promise," she smiled, smoothing his hair gently, then paused," Hey, what's this? A necklace?"

"Pendant. Family heirloom….I never….never take it….off. It….reminds me….of my Mom. I miss her. Please, don't….don't let anyone take it away. Please Joy….don't let….them find me…." he wept, pushing his face against her chest like a frightened child.

"Hey, what are you talking about? The people who sunk your boat….is that who you're afraid of?" she asked, rocking him gently and patting his head.

"You can't….tell anyone else. Promise me, our….secret. Please, Joy….Please?" he begged in a muffled voice.

"Yes, of course. I swear. I won't tell a soul." She told him. "Team Rocket. They tried….to kill me. They must…..think I'm dead, I swam deep un….underwater, and I headed for shore. I was afraid to come up….they would have shot me. I stayed under until my lungs….hurt. They hurt….I hurt all over. Don't let them get me….please." he begged, sobbing harder.

"Oh you poor thing, you've been scared out of your wits. It'll be all right, trust me. I'll make sure of it….um….uh, what is your name, son?" she asked, holding him close and warmly. 

"James." he said quietly.

"That's a sweet name. I guess you have met my cousins if you know mine. You just take it easy, James. The ambulance should be here soon. You're going to be just fine." She coaxed.

He leaned back in her arms, staring up at her weakly, his necklace hanging down his tattered black shirt. "I know that….now." he smiled, his eyes fluttering shut as he drifted to sleep.


	2. Ch. 2-A Rose By Any Other Name

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of "Pokemon," but I own Piouso and Joy's boyfriend **__**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of "Pokemon," but I own Piouso and Joy's boyfriend/husband, and daughter.

Chapter 2

__

A Rose By Any Other Name

**_-Ten Years Later-_**

Sunnytown was rainy again, but none of the citizens are very surprised. They consider it a decent trade for the near constant heat waves they have most often. Cars line the completed bridge, bikes are whisking along the small, gray trails with their little bells ringing with honking of impatient drivers.

A few such bicyclists are on their way to town now, their rain slickers dripping wet as they peddled with all their might down the bicycle trail, a lone Pokemon in the leaders' basket.

"You sure Dr. Hartman can fix your Cubone?" The girl beside the leader shouted. "Hey, he's the best doctor in town. He's cured tons of Pokemon, even ones in terminal condition. Sure he can fix Cubone, whatever's wrong with it. It's probably just stomach flu or something. Quit worrying, Mary! You're such a whiny baby." The boy shouted at her, his brown eyes squinting against the cold downpour.

"Shut up, Derek! You're being a jerk, as usual. Its your fault it got sick. You let that Cubone roam around busy streets and the woods by itself while you're in the mall or playing soccer. You're never watching it close enough." She shouted back, a lock of blonde hair falling across her blue eyes.

"Adam, shut your sister up already. She's getting on my nerves….again. Why the heck did you let her come along?" Derek snapped at the other bicyclist.

"Mom said she'd take away my TV privileges if I didn't. Mary always gets her way. Can't wait till I'm a rich movie star and she's stuck at home crying, like she always does." Adam griped, his brown crewcut the only hair of the three actually getting wet.

"Yeah right, you fainted when they gave you played the part of the bear in 'Springtime Come Home.' You couldn't even say your lines, you big sissy. The only thing you can act is stupid." Mary laughed, picking up speed.

"Shut up, stupid. Quit telling everybody about that. We're heading for the Pokecenter, not school!" Adam sneered.

"Yeah, speaking of which, I heard a lot about Dr. Hartman. All the girls that have met him say he's a total babe. He's got the most unusual hair color and when he looks at you, they feel like he's looking into their souls. Like some kind'a warlock or something." Mary spouted, getting laughs from the two boys.

"I hear he doesn't go out in public. He's really anti-social. He only hangs around Pokemon, talking to them, like he knows what they all are saying. He's a major weirdo." Adam added.

"Heh, maybe Mary should marry him. She'd be happy with her own kind." Derek snickered.

"Oh you! I hope you fall into an Ekans' nest. The both of you." Mary snapped, the three bikers speeding off further into the storm.

~

"How many times do I have to tell you, its not any kind of stomach flu. Its food poisoning, from your poor care of Raichu!" a man was screaming. The three bikers walked in, soaked to the bone with Derek holding his Cubone tightly. They saw it was a doctor screaming, his back to them and a young man in front of him, holding a squirming and sickly Raichu.

"I take good care of Raichu, I swear! I did like you said last time, better food, bottled water, exercise, everything! And the stupid thing still gets sick." The man yelled back.

The doctor shook his head, grumbling. "I knew you'd say that, so I paid a call to the police to search your house for possible signs of neglect or abuse." The doctor said snidely.

"You what?!"

"Yes, and they found mold covered dishes in the sink, none of the bottled water I prescribed, the same terrible food that made him sick was in your cupboards, covered in mold and insects. And to top it all off, Raichu's dishes were just as filthy. I have filed a complaint against you for the mistreatment of your Raichu and Officer Jenny is on her way to take custody of Raichu and put it in a suitable trainer's care, as well your other Pokemon. You're going to pay for neglecting them so much, I'm surprised they're not all in the hospital by now. So hand over Raichu. Officer Jenny will be here shortly." The doctor said.

"You have no authority, no permission!" the man screamed, the Raichu getting squeezed in the process.

"I have every authority. I'm a doctor concerned for my patient's welfare. The police got their warrant and you're up for a lot of community service and payments. You should have listened to me the first time instead of being cheap and stubborn. Pokemon are not battling playthings, they are your friends and companions, to be treated as you would like to be," the doctor said, then a siren sounded outside," Ah, the cavalry has arrived. Now hand over your Raichu or I'll have to force you to."

"No way! Raichu's mine! I caught him fair and square. No bleeding heart doctor's gonna make me do other wise. Raichu may be sick, but my Fearow isn't!" the man shout, grabbing out a Pokeball," Fearow, Go!"

The bird popped out, cackling loudly as it circled over the doctor's head.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Mary said quietly.

"No way, none my Pokemon are that evolved. That ditzy doctor is on his own." Derek whimpered, now hiding behind a potted plant with her brother.

"Sissies…." she mumbled, and went back to watching the angry Fearow dive at the doctor. "Now you're going for assault….you enjoy racking up points for more time in an orange jumpsuit, don't you? Still, if that's the way you want it, might as well sweeten the pot," the doctor sighed, holding up his own Pokeball," Golbat, GO!"

The purple and blue creature flew out and rammed its body into Fearow, narrowly missing its long, sharp beak. 

"Ack! Fearow, eradicate that squeaking freak. Drill beak! Run it through! Anything!" the man shouted.

Fearow started to fly upward at incredible speeds, jerking downward at the Golbat as it hovered about the doctor's head. "Golbat, confuse ray." The doctor commanded. The Golbat let out its sonic wail into the Fearow, the creature's mind going crazy with confusion, flying in circles for a while, then dive bombing his owner.

"NO! Fearow! Fearow return!" the man shouted. Fearow went back inside its Pokeball, still shaking it up inside.

The Golbat snatched the Pokeball away and dropped it in the doctor's hand. "Your Raichu, please. It think we've wasted enough of my patients' time with your bellyaching." The doctor said in a bored tone.

"That he has. Excellent job. Dr. Hartman, you should have been a cop." A woman said suddenly. Mary and the two boys looked towards seeing the all too familiar Officer Jenny standing in her police uniform and high heels, handcuffs twirling around her thin finger.

"I do my best. Just get him out of here and get his Pokemon into good, healthy homes. I have other patients to attend to before I leave." Dr. Hartman said, turning around at last.

Mary smiled, his eyes taking her in like a dream. They were like two perfect emeralds, his voice deep and romantic sounding. It was all she could see of his face anyway, he had a mouth guard on and was wearing a surgical cap, hiding his hair from her eyes. People said that he'd been out with a few girls early in his career, but they said he was always in some other world when they'd talk to him. Almost as if he was waiting for something they weren't aware of, or he was afraid of. He never talked about his past either, being a complete mystery to all but his stepmother, Nurse Joy.

'Heck, with eyes like those, who cares what dimension his mind is in. What a babe!' she thought, still smiling.

She'd been so busy doing so that Jenny had already taken the neglectful owner away, another officer carrying his Raichu and other Pokeballs away. 

His voice broke her trance. "Hey, what about the Fearow? It's still under my Golbat's confusion attack. I should tend to it. You can pick it up from Joy in the morning." 

Jenny nodded, and started for the door. "Sure thing, Dr. Hartman. Tell your Mom and Dad I said hi. And that I'm bringing my Growlithes for their annual check-ups," she called," You said quite a proper good-bye to them yesterday, poor things will miss you. It's hard to believe you're leaving Sunnytown."

"Yeah, but I can't stay here all the time. There are other towns that need my services. I'm a freelance doctor. I have to go where I'm needed, its what I was trained for. My parents will be fine, they already have their hands full with my baby sister," he laughed, stuffing the Pokeball in his pocket," I'll be back for her birthday each year and holidays. I promised them. Don't worry so much, Jenny."

"Yeah, yeah, that doesn't mean you're not breaking their hearts leaving. Don't forget this place once you leave, or I'll hunt you down with my Growlithes." she chuckled, disappearing out the door.

"Heh, you always say that, Jenny. That's another reason why I'm leaving….a place can get pretty boring after being there for so long. Never thought I'd say that," he sighed, holding up his Pokeball," And now for you, Golbat. Return."

His Pokemon vanished into the Pokeball in a haze of red light, calm as could be, getting stuffed into another pocket as he turned back towards the patients' ward.

"Wait! Dr. Hartman!" Derek piped up, nearly knocking over the potted plant.

The doctor stopped and looked back at them, still and waiting. "Yes?"

"It's my Cubone. Its been acting weird, stomach aches and its always tired. I don't know what's wrong with it. Please, I take good care of it. You can ask anybody, I'm not like that bad man. Don't take Cubone away from me." Derek begged, holding the tired looking Pokemon up to the doctor.

"Take Cubone away? Son, just because I turned that man in doesn't mean every sick Pokemon is sick because of those reasons. I'll let medical science decide what's wrong. I'm not a monster, kid, just a concerned doctor. My patients are always my main concern, making enemies isn't. Now, uh, would you and your friends mind waiting out here?"

"No….no, sir. Just help my Cubone." Derek asked, handing his Pokemon to the doctor. Dr. Hartman nodded, then went through the double doors beside the desk.

The trio waited for an hour in the lobby, Derek pacing back and forth nervously.

"What's taking him so long?" Derek whimpered.

"Quit being such a baby, he's a doctor, not a maniac. Cubone is getting the best of care. Now sit down before you fall through the floor." Mary snapped.

"Yes, young man. Floors are expensive to fix. And think of the problems a hole would cause in front of the patients' ward." Said a chirpy voice. The three looked towards the entrance to se Nurse Joy walking in, a little brown-haired girl holding her hand and a tall dark-haired man behind them.

"Nurse Joy, why weren't you here today? Why just Dr. Hartman? He almost had a battle in the waiting room with some nasty owner." Adam asked.

"I work the night shift, for Kara's sake. I want to spend my days with her, so someone else takes the day shift and I come when Kara's asleep. Dr. Hartman volunteered to take the day shift. I already have someone to take his shift over when he leaves. We just came by since me and Max work nights, and we wanted to say our good-byes before he goes off into the world." She said.

As Derek opened his mouth, Dr. Hartman came back out with a sleeping Cubone in his arms and sheet of paper in his pocket.

"Is Cubone going to be ok? What's the matter with it?" Derek squealed, his eyes almost in tears as he looked at Cubone. "I think you should refrain from using the term 'it.' That word is demeaning to all things. I think Cubone would prefer 'she.'" He told him, handing the sleeping Pokemon to its owner. "She?! Then what's wrong with her?"

Derek demanded.

"Cubone is pregnant, at least a month into it. I say that its Cubone's first since she was so confused about her condition," Dr. Hartman explained, handing Derek the sheet of paper," This is a list of foods for pregnant Pokemon, and as a doctor I highly recommend them for this particular species. No more battling for her, only normal exercises, nothing too stressful. My replacement will fill you in on the rest."

"Pregnant? I….I had no idea. But how?" Derek mumbled. Adam was snickering. "If he doesn't know the answer to that, there's no hope for him."

Mary wasn't amused at all and clocked her brother hard on the head. "Shut up, jerko. Motherhood is a thing of beauty and a miracle of life. Derek should be proud that Cubone's going to have babies. Its just nature."

"She's quite right. Now I suggest you call your parents and get a ride home. I don't think your bikes will provide Cubone with proper shelter from the rain." Dr. Hartman added.

"How'd you know we came on bikes?" Derek asked, shoving the paper into his pants' pocket. "I saw them outside as Jenny was leaving. They don't look suitable for taking a pregnant mother home in. Call your parents and if they're not home, try a taxi. I'll pay for it. Anything for a Pokemon in need." He said, walking off to lean against the desk, rubbing his forehead.

"Gee, thanks. C'mon, let's do it. My Mom's still home, but try yours just in case she stepped out." Derek said proudly, sprinting off towards phones, his friends in tow.

Joy and her family walked up to the doctor while the kids called their parents, Joy embracing him a tight hug. "I can't believe you're leaving already. It seems like only yesterday we took you into our home as our son, James." she wept. He patted her on the back gently, taking off his mouth guard, kissing her cheek. "Mom, don't cry. I'm coming back for birthdays and holidays and whenever I have time. I swear. I'm freelance, but I'll make sure I visit." he told her. She back up a little rubbing her tears away and sniffling. 

"Oh, James, its just that time went by so quickly. You've become a Pokemon Master and doctor, I couldn't be prouder, even if you're not my real son. As far as I'm concerned, if you were really my child, it wouldn't matter what you amounted to. I'd still love you, honey. I just can't….its just so sudden. I cared for you like my own….Oh God, I'm going to miss you." she cried, her husband taking hold of her as she burst into tears.

"Mom, I'm gonna miss you too, but I have to do what my career asks of me. I want to help all Pokemon, it's my choice in life. It doesn't mean I love you any less, any of you," he smiled, leaning down to pick up his little sister," And you little miss, you're going to have to write me a big list for your sixth birthday, ok? You're becoming quite the little lady, Kara."

He poked at her nose and got a giggle out of her, and she wrapped her little arms around his neck. "I'm going to miss you, big brother. I'll write my list, my handwriting is getting so much better. You write one too for your birthday, we'll send you nice stuff too like you do," she chirped, kissing his cheek," Miss you already."

"Hey, no tears, small wonder. You promised me you'd be strong. I'm just doing my job, not leaving forever. I want you to be a good girl while I'm gone, be nice to Mom and Dad. I'll make sure I call you every week, kid. Cross my heart and hope to get crushed by a Snorlax." He coaxed, getting another giggle out of her before he put her back on the floor. Max stuck out his hand and shook his hard, giving him a brief hug.

"Well, you take care of yourself, Jimmy. Find a nice girl in your new home, everyone needs somebody, and we personally would like you to make some friends, please. I don't want to force anything on you, son, but your mother and I hate to see you all alone. Pokemon can't replace people. Sooner or later, you'll need somebody." He said kindly. James nodded and smiled.

"I know, I want to have somebody, really I do. Its just that….with my past, they'll have to know eventually. But I'll try, Dad, I will. I'm not insane, just careful. The right girl is out there for me, but she's not here. Heck, you might be right. Ms. Right might be in that town, who knows. I might get lucky." James chuckled, pulling off his surgical cap and rubbing his hair. 

Mary had been watching them the whole time, pretending to call her parents. She smiled as she saw his hair. It was just like people said, a very exotic color of lavender-blue, maybe indigo, she couldn't tell. All she knew was that it was intoxicating to look at him. His hair was cut short, clinging to his head tightly, some of the bangs hanging close to his right eye, the tips stopping just above where his nose ended. As he turned a bit to look at Joy, Mary saw one long lock of hair was hanging down the middle of his forehead, he brushed at it slightly, but it just fell back into place stubbornly.

"What a babe…." She crooned, dropping her phone. 

"Mary!"

Mary nearly fell over as her brother yelled in her ear, her face going red when the doctor and his family looked at them in shock.

"Quit drooling over him and let's go wait by the door. My mom's on her way right now, you geek." Derek teased, shoving her forward.

"Oh, you beast. I'm so embarrassed! I'll never forgive you! Ohhh!!" she wailed, her face filling with hate. "Yeah, yeah, wah, wah, wah. Just move it." Adam groaned, following his friend and sister.

~

As the three kids were driven away from the Pokemon Center, James was packing his things at home. He'd only been there under 10 years thanks to Pokemon Technical and Pokemon Medical. It saddened him that he didn't spend more time then. Then again, he never would have amounted to so much, making them all proud and happy about his goals. 

The status he had didn't matter much, it was more being loved for who he was. His real parents had been insane, his fiancée Jessibelle equally as cracked and more violent. They never loved him for who he wanted to be or being their son, they loved what he could bring to their family. The family name would not go on, he was content with that. If money meant his freedom was lost to a couple of crackpots' demands, he wanted no part of it. He never wanted to see them again, but he still missed Growly. He wished he had taken him with him. 

'Yeah, and Giovanni would have taken him away from you when he fired you and Jessie. I can get him when my parents are gone. One day I'll go home and take him back. Then I can have my first real friend back with me.' he thought, zipping his duffel bag shut. 

It was every bit of clothing he owned stuffed in the two duffel bags, his wallet secure in his pants pocket and three Pokeballs on his belt. He lifted the bags up and headed out of his room, closing the door behind him.

James headed for the door to the garage, opening it quietly so as not to wake up his little sister. Other than him, she was only other person in the house, resting peacefully with her stuffed animals and pet Eevee. He'd caught it for her himself for her fifth birthday after she'd begged him for months. He smiled at the memory of her shining face as the Eevee leapt into her arms, licking her rosy cheeks. It gave him a feeling of self-satisfaction that he could brighten her day. It felt a lot better to make people smile than to frown, he only wished it hadn't taken him so long to see it.

'You were blind to a lot of things, James. It's over now. Just let it die like Team Rocket thought you did.' He told himself, sighing deeply as he went into the garage. He walked over to his motorcycle, stuffing the bags into the sidecar. He never really used it for people these days, especially not Kara. Joy would have had a heart attack if she ever thought he'd do that.

He shook his head, pressing the garage door opener back near the door, pushing his vehicle out when it was fully opened. He left it on the sidewalk while he ran back to shut the garage, running back out to his motorcycle before it shut.

He went back to pushing down the street towards the bridge, so as not to wake anyone up. He had done that once and gotten a rock thrown at his head. The hospital stay had been less than pleasant with the broken leg he'd gotten out of the accident and the reprimands he got from Joy while Max was suing James' attacker for causing the accident.

James had been fortunate he had a good health plan and Max's lawyer friend had been even better or he would have died from worry about the cost of whole mess. He chuckled lightly, smiling as the bridge booth came into view. The attendant was no longer inside and a few cars were going on and off of it. He sat down on his motorcycle, tilting his head to the sky. A shuffling came then, from the sidecar, forcing him to look at it.

He smirked, folding his arms across his chest. "I thought you said you didn't want to go, Haunter. Get out of my clothes." He mock scolded.

The ghost Pokemon rose out of the duffel bags, his silly, purple-toothed grin aimed at James, who was smiling back. "Haunt….Haunt." it said.

"Changed your mind, huh? Well, not that I'm complaining, buddy, but mind if I ask what the reason is?" he asked.

Haunter started crying, its hands flapping about. "Haunnnnnttttt! Haunt, haunt, Haunt!" it wailed out. "Hey, cut that out. I know we're good friends. I was pretty bummed you said you didn't want to come. If anyone should be crying, it should be me. I thought we'd be together no matter where I went. You left Sabrina's care to go into mine because you wanted to be my friend. I was touched," he said, nudging Haunter with his hand," I'm glad you're coming though. Wouldn't be the same with you making me laugh."

Haunter stopped crying, smiling again. "Haunt….haunt, haunt." 

"Yeah, plenty of laughs and you can play wherever and with whoever you like. I'll be around at after five at night, so don't worry. I'll have time for all of my Pokemon and enjoying the evening, ok? Now let's get going. Cerulean City, here we come!" James cheered, starting up his cycle and speeding across the bridge with Haunter hovering alongside.


	3. Ch. 3-Tricks and Treats

Chapter 3 **__**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of "Pokemon," but I own Piouso and Joy's boyfriend/husband, and daughter.

Chapter 3

**_Tricks and Treats_**

James arrived in Cerulean City after three days of driving, dead tired as he pulled up into the parking garage of the Pokemon Center , the noon sun shining brightly above the town. He walked in, Haunter floating behind him as he dragged his bags in, tired from his long trip. His step-mother's cousin, one of the many Joy's employed by every Pokemon Center, was sitting at the desk quietly.

"Hey Joy! It's me, James Hartman. I'm here." he called to her, smiling. The woman looked up, smiling at first, then screeched at the top of her lungs and leapt under her desk.

"Huh? What did I say….ay, oh darn. Haunter….of course, Haunter. Joy, you can come out. Haunter's with me, he's my friend." He sighed, plopping his bags on the desk. Joy came up slowly, her little fingers gripping the edge of her desk and blue eyes peering up at him. He was petting Haunter, smiling still as the ghost Pokemon kept laughing out its name.

"You're sure?" she asked, getting a nod. She stood up fully then, walking around the desk to extend a shaking hand. "My cousin told me a lot about you, but you're a lot taller than your pictures show. Not that it matters, James. I'm happy that you'll be working with me and the other doctors," she said nervously, still staring Haunter," Uh, do you have a beeper? Just in case of an emergency."

"Yep, I got it before I started working in the centers. It comes in handy. I don't really mind helping out. After all, I'm a doctor, Joy, not an insensitive jerk. Speaking of which, are there any Pokemon that need caring for?" he chuckled, pulling his hand back.

"Not really, with the festival and all, there haven't been many Pokemon battles in the gym, as if our gym leaders cared much about anything but how rich and pretty they are." She said sarcastically.

"I remember that trio of airheads. They didn't feel like battling until I insulted their hair, well, Daisy's hair. Vain people have lots of weaknesses, believe me, I know from experience. She was more than willing do defend her hairstyle against a man's insult than for her gym's reputation. Boy, she got so mad she tried to beat me up when I beat her Starmie. That was one of my more humorous matches." He chuckled.

"Did you apologize to her? Or was it not good enough?" Joy asked.

"I did, told her why I said it, but I never told her it was pretty. That burned her a little, but all's fair in Pokemon battles. Sometimes you have to be sneaky to get a battle out of unwilling players. So what's this festival about?" James asked, Haunter nudging into Joy's side suddenly.

"Oh, it's called the Water Flowers Festival, like a fair, but really extravagant. It has stands for food, prizes, jewelry, Pokemon, all the fun stuff around the Cerulean City Gym. There's a costume ball tonight to show off the Cerulean City Museum's latest find in the sea, a treasure chest that is going to be opened tonight. But, I can't go to it. I have to stay here, but its not like I want to go. I'm not a real party person." she explained, a smile finally appearing on her face.

"Heh, sounds like fun to me. I haven't been to a party in ages, let alone a festival. Would it be all right if I went? Just for the ball anyway. If there are no Pokemon to take care of, I mean."

Joy shrugged, giggling as Haunter gave her a hug. "Fine by me, just bring your beeper with you. Just in case, you know." She told him, patting Haunter lightly.

Haunter said his name again, almost purring, and went on nuzzling her. "Haunter has a thing for pretty ladies. He loved Mom to death, too much in fact. If I wasn't around, he'd follow her until he saw me….or any other female I happened to be around. Must a Pokemon thing. I dunno, Mom didn't seem to mind it as much as my girlfriends did," he said heartily," Well, I'd better go buy a costume real quick or I'll be stuck with something stupid like a duck or a chicken suit. Watch Haunter for me will you….and if any Pokemon are brought in, don't hesitate to beep me. Just give Mom a call and she'll give you the number."

"Sure, that'll be fine. Now shoo, James, or you'll be clucking your way into embarrassment at the ball." She laughed, watching him run out of the center as fast as he could. 

Haunter stopped nuzzling her and went over to James' bags, lifting them up. "Haunt....haunt. Haunt haunt haunt." He said, floating over to the double doors beside the desk. "Whatever, Haunter, I don't speak ghost Pokemon yet, they never need hospital care. Just follow me, I'll show you to his locker." Joy sighed, pushing the doors open, letting Haunter float through.

**_~Meanwhile~_**

"This is too good to be true! An ancient treasure chest at the Cerulean City Gym. Pokemon and cash!" Butch beamed.

Cassidy nodded as they walked along the rafters. Team Rocket was doing well these days, and a job coming to any member was a Godsend regardless. Cassidy had to admit catching the more common, wild Pokemon was rather dull, even degrading, but this time Giovanni and fate had finally come through. Butch was right, the treasure chest and the gym leaders' Pokemon were a very sweet deal. The costume party would make it all the more simple for them to take everyone by surprise.

"Yeah, and we'll be perfectly disguised. Those dumb gym bimbos are so concerned with having a good time and showing off, they won't even notice Pokemon thieves entering their midst. Heh, I bet even Jessie or Meowth could get in here. This is going to be as easy as pie!" she chuckled, fixing her hair slightly as she stopped.

"Why'd you stop?" he asked.

"This is where the cables need to go, Butch, for our escape. A quick speech, but never drop your gun's sights from the crowd. I hit our handy remote and the cables come down to get us out of here. We have to get to the security room after this. Or if you'd like to save us some time, since you're the electronics whiz, go on ahead."

"Yeah, then we can spend more time prepping for the heist….Or eating. Doubt we'll get much in with those lame costumes we bought. I can't believe I have to go as a Psyduck." Butch moaned, shrugging it off as he stepped past her.

"You lost the coin toss, but don't think I'm in any better a position. I have to go in a chicken suit. We should have come to town earlier and bought costumes, but then again, the ones we have cover our faces, so if that witch Misty and her friend Ash are here, they can't pick us out of the crowd." Cassidy sighed, pulling the cables out of her backpack. 

"Yeah, you have a point there. Well, see you in ten minutes. I'll have every door rigged on schedule. We'll make a killing here tonight, rich and full of this gym's prize Pokemon." He said, saluting before walking off towards for the vents.

When he found one and crawled through it, Cassidy went back to work on tightening the cables. "The boss will be rich beyond rich, that means more promotions for us. That'll put a Weedle in Jessie's shorts, the little kiss up. I'll prove to Giovanni that I'm better than her." She snickered, her eyes slanting wickedly.

**_~The Water Flowers Ball~_**

"Man, Haunter would be in heaven here, if that's possible. What a spread." James uttered as he entered the gym. During the most memorable time he'd been here, all he'd seen was a pool with a few dinky floating devices. He hadn't had any time to enjoy much else since he, Meowth and Jessie had been crashing through the wall and trying to steal their Pokemon.

'I'm lucky Misty's sisters are so stupid or they would recognized me when I battled them for my Cascade Badge. Heh, Misty would have, lucky for me she had locked herself in her room that day.' He thought, smiling to himself. He strode in steadily, getting a few smiles and waves from the party-goers.

He considered himself very lucky, the costume shop only had three left, a Psyduck, a chicken, and a sheik, as the owner put it. James said it looked like a desert nomad or a thief, briefly remembering he had once been a thief, but he bought it anyway. It had the tied on cloth as protection from the sun, another piece of cloth that covered his mouth, and the puffy clothing he'd seen in pictures of Arabian legends. He felt like Aladdin or one of the 40 thieves in it, but it beat having a duck or chicken head over his to cover his hair.

'I never would've lived the other ones down. I have to work here, for cryin' out loud, better a thief than poultry.' He mused, passing by and nodding at the guests as he made his way to the buffet table.

He was even more in awe as he reached it, more food than he'd ever seen in his life, even his graduation dinner hadn't been this spectacular. There were foods from exotic countries, drinks and fruits of every color, hors d'oeuvres, fish, meats, desserts, cocktails, and more. He felt as if his eyes would explode from trying to look at it all.

Other people were indulging in the delicacies, picking at each thing with their noses held high, laughing and waving their fingers at others. "This is a harsh reminder. I think I get the point, but I'm starved. Not like anyone's going to talk to me, nobody knows me." he sighed, pulling down the mouth mask and popped a strawberry into his mouth, then a few more.

"Maybe this costume thing won't be so bad….Maybe." he grinned, grabbing up a salmon puff from the next tray.


	4. Ch. 4- Rocketing Reunion

Chapter 4 **__**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of "Pokemon," but I own Piouso and Joy's boyfriend/husband, and daughter.

Chapter 4

_ Rocketing Reunion _

"She did what?!" Misty screamed, so loud that the fish in the aquarium swam far away from the glass she was near. Her sisters held up their hands in defense, their seashell-encrusted hairdos clattering as they moved.

"It's like not our fault you asked such a babe like a total idiot to this party. Daisy practically saved him from you cause you like forced the guy to come with you. He said like you threatened to break his arm if he didn't take you." Lilly chided, patting at her pushed up blue hair. 

Violet nodded, her red hair swiveling about her slim shoulders as she did. "Like yeah, little sister. You may have the look now, but you don't have the like totally perfect manners we _three_ sensational sisters have. You just didn't have what it took to ask out a hunk, let alone become a Pokemon Master like that babe Ash." 

"Babe!? Ash? Are we talking about the same Ash Ketchum who trashed my bike and wrecked my car?! You have to be kidding! He's lucky we have so much insurance or I'd have really strangled him!" Misty hollered, slamming her fists against the glass.

"So what, he paid you back. You're the one who refuses to buy a new car, you big baby. He has a car too, why the heck did you lend him yours anyway?" Violet asked.

"Well duh, my brainless sisters, his was getting its brakes fixed and he needed to get something from Pewter City for his mother. Out of the goodness of my very large heart, I lend that moron my car so he could," Misty proclaimed, her long red hair standing on end," And then I get a call from his girlfriend that they got into an accident after going to a movie. That geek lied to me so he could go on a stupid date! He's still a brainless jerk, no matter how old he is! But that's not the subject. Daisy is! She stole my date, and she already had a date!" 

"All's fair in love and war, and you did the love part wrong. Forcing a guy to go out with you is like way stupid. Why don't you learn from us and use a little charm? Hah, hah, as you if you had any men to use it on. It'll take you forever to find a single guy here." Lilly laughed, walking off with her head held high, wiggling her hips.

"Yeah little sister, we have like our own dates to attend to and you don't. Go solve your problems or just go home. You're like so cramping out style." Violet added, walking off with her sister.

"Ohh, you….old hags! I hope you get food poisoning!" she shouted after them, running after them briefly, then stopped and slumped down to the floor. She started crying because she knew her sisters, in their own way, were right. She shouldn't have forced that guy to be her date, it was destined for disaster. She didn't know him and he didn't know her, but she had been desperate for a date. 

One wouldn't think that by looking at her. She wasn't the little runt girl Ash had met at the river fishing for Pokemon. That had been nearly 12 years ago, a lot had changed since then to them both. She was taller, her red hair long and shining, and slender, luscious figure. The only thing she lacked was her temper, the main reason she had such trouble finding a date.

'I can't help myself. I've been on dates, but usually the guys ask me, not the other way around. It's not fair. Just because I yell at Ash and rude people, everyone suddenly thinks I do it to everyone. I'm just showing my strong side, I'm not some wicked witch!' her mind screamed.

"More like the Poliwrath princess. The only girl without a date. I spent so much on this princess costume for that idiot date of mine….Ugh, I should have kept out the threats, but if he hadn't tried to run when I was nice….Ooo, I hate him! And my sisters, nothing's too good for them to ruin. Well, they're not going to ruin tonight for me, I'll find a date their way. I'll prove I have charm and poise and tons of romance in me."

Misty picked herself up quickly, wiping away the tears rapidly. "But first, I have to fix my make-up. I'm dressed to kill, but I don't want to scare them to death with a puffy, wet face." She added, running off down out of the aquarium halls.

~

"This is living. Maybe I should set up a gym once I've paid all my debts." James mused, eating a few shrimp from the small plate he held in his hand. He chuckled lightly to himself, rapping his free hand on his head. "Heh, I'm a good five years from finishing that, I might be too stressed to be a doctor and a gym leader at the same time."

He was still milling about the buffet tables, ignoring the other guests unless they started talking to him. The conversations were dry and boring, people bragging about their money or their Pokemon and costumes or how bored they were. He would simply say 'yes' or 'no' or the occasional 'really?' as if he was actually following any bit of what they were saying.

It didn't matter much regardless, he was just there to enjoy a party, free food, and dressing up. 'At least it's not a skirt. I'm never putting one of those on as long as I live. Jessie isn't around to make me do it again either, thank God.' He mused.

He kept eating from his well-filled plate generously, until a slim finger poked him in the back. James nearly screamed when he heard a woman's voice, a familiar one. 

"Hey, sheik boy, need any additions to your harem?" It said. He wanted to groan, but instead he turned around to come face to face with Daisy, the eldest sensational sister, the very one he'd come to call the most annoying of the brainless trio.

"Uh, no, thank you. I'm fine right here, miss." He said tightly. She didn't leave, still smiling brightly at him, playing with his hat's cloth. "Oh come on. I don't bite, dream boat. My name's Daisy, the number one Cerulean City Gym's Sensational Sister. Aren't you like so impressed?" she cooed, trying to reach under his hat. He slapped her hand away, pulling himself back as well, slamming hard into the side of the table.

"Big whoop, Daisy. Go impress somebody who cares, like a tree. You look like the one with that weird hairdo." He snapped, scolding himself for losing his temper.

'Great, give her a reason to rip you apart. Just great.' He thought, painfully watching her face turn bright red, her eyes filling with fire.

"You're insulting me?! ME!?" she screamed. 

"Yeah, he is, you old hag. And you say I have problems with men." Said another woman's voice. 

James raised an eyebrow at it, looking around Daisy cautiously to see its owner.

"Oh dear….Misty….no, not her." he mumbled, frozen in place. He knew that face, that hair, it didn't matter how old she was, he knew her like the back of his hand. They had battled so much in the past, she was like old habit he thought he couldn't shake.

"So, my date wasn't enough. You have to go steal somebody else's date too, you tramp!? You're horrible!" Misty scolded, but Daisy just brushed her off.

"Please, Misty, I'm allowed to be with whoever I want. You're not my keeper. Besides, this jerk just insulted me. He isn't worth smudging my nails with his grimy hands. Let his girlfriend get all messed up." she sniffed.

"I don't have a date." James said suddenly, finally straightening up. Misty perked up as he said it, rushing over to him and grabbing him by the wrist. "You're single!? What a coincidence, so am I!" she beamed.

'Uh-oh, now I've done it. If she finds out who I am, she'll beat me to a pulp.' He thought, sweat forming on his forehead. His eyes were nervous, but he didn't run.

"R…really? That is a funny coincidence. Why would a pretty lady like you not have a date?" he said, then Misty got a strange look in her eyes and started to mentally silence himself.

"How sweet of you to say so. People never say that to me. You wanna dance, handsome?" she smiled, batting her tiny blue eyes.

"Ohhh, ok, sure. I can't resist being with a princess I guess….or those eyes." He said, hoping it wasn't too much of a buttering up. 

"Thanks, cutie. See ya, sis." Misty chuckled, sticking her tongue out at Daisy.

"Why you little!" Daisy growled as her sister passed, trying to stand in front of them , but Misty had already pulled James along past her. His plate hand was in the air when she saw this, then within seconds she got a mouthful of food in her face.

"Sorry, but well, just sorry, eh, heh, heh. Whoah!" James uttered, tripping along as Misty pulled him onto the dance floor.

~

James danced with Misty, too afraid to say he had to leave or even try to escape. He knew it would arouse suspicions if he did, but if he didn't, he would risk being exposed. 'The thing is you didn't think, again. The second I hear about a party, I'm compelled to go. I never could resist free food or a good time. Some things never change.' He thought, trying not to hold Misty too close, but she was making it difficult.

She kept leaning her head against his chest, her slim arms wrapped around his waist, her little fingers pressing along his spine. 

'It was easy to resist when she had no style….no looks. You're killing me, Misty.' He thought, shaking a bit as the band began to play a slow song, a woman in a purple kimono stepping up to the stage to sing. 

It was a sweet melody and, much to James' distaste, romantic. "Um, Misty?"

She looked up at him, her lips nicking his chin briefly. He bit the side of his mouth to keep from gasping. 

"Uh, I don't want to sound uh, rude or anything, but I don't know single thing about you. Normally….uh, I get to know who I'm dancing with, you know. Friendly like." He blubbered out, the warmth of her lipstick still stinging on his chin.

He rubbed at it, waiting for her to answer and trying desperately not to look nervous. "Oh, well, sorry, its just that I'm a little surprised someone came without a date. I had one, but well, you heard about what Daisy did," she said quietly, tilting her head to the side," But I'm avoiding the subject aren't I? Heh, sorry. Ask me anything you like. I don't care." She sighed after a moment, leaning her head back against his chest.

He spun their bodies about slowly at that, lowering his head a bit. "What do you do? Are you a Pokemon trainer or something?" he asked, trying to sound curious.

"I'm a trainer and a gym leader, well, the fourth sensational sister nobody wants to mention. My sparkling personality can be thanked for that. I'm still training, I managed to get five badges so far, but well, my mother asked me to come home and help with the household. My father died a few years ago in a car accident….and my sisters are too busy working to pay the bills, so I haven't had time to actually get the rest of them or have any fun." She told him, her voice trembling slightly.

"I'm sorry. It must have been hard on you. I trust your family is doing much better since you and your sisters are here. Am I right?" he asked. He felt her nod against him, saying," Yeah, the gym's being doing very well and we've finally got the house paid off. The bills aren't so bad without all our debts around anymore. I've started training my Pokemon again and Mom's even gone back to her sewing club. We're doing ok, this charity ball is going to be a big help too. All the donations go to the Pokecenter for better equipment and addition wings to be constructed, the museum's treat. The Cerulean City Museum has really gone all out to have this festival. It's been forever since this city has been able to celebrate anything. Don't you think?" 

"I wouldn't know. I'm….kind'a new in town." He mumbled out. She looked up again, James' head snapping back in surprise as her bright expression met his eyes. 

"You're new? No wonder you don't know anything. Is this your first time in this city?" She asked.

"No, I've been here before. I know my way around places you wouldn't believe. This city is also good place to find water Pokemon. I battled in your gym a while back." He said, smirking a little. 

"Why didn't you battle me? I think I would have remembered your face….or at least your voice." She said quizzically.

"Ah, your sisters said you locked yourself in your room. Something about a mid-life crisis." He sighed, shrugging gently. "Oh that, heh, heh. Not one of my best days, my _friend _Ash wrecked my car after taking his date to the movies, telling me it was an errand for his mother. The creep put me in a really bad mood, so I stayed in my room until I could cool off. Ah well, but I'm still mad at him. Its just that I can't hole myself up forever," she chuckled," You get bored and hungry after a while."

James nodded, cracking a smile. "Yeah, you can only hide beauty for so long. Oop!" 

'Stupid, shut your mouth already. Compliments are meaningless the second she finds out who you are.' He screamed silently,' Like repeating it is going to make you let her go. You're enchanted.'

"You're so sweet. You must be new." She said," So, I told you about me, how about you make it fair and tell me about yourself. A name perhaps to go with the face, hmmm?"

"Uh….call me….Jay," he said, forcing out a laugh," I….well, you promise you won't tell your sisters or friends this?"

"Why? Is it something illegal?" she asked, mock suspicion in her voice. 

"Hey, just promise. And no, its nothing illegal. I'm no criminal." He said, a little too defensively.

"Ok, I swear I won't tell anyone. What do you do, Jay?" she asked.

"I'm a doctor, I've been reassigned to work at your Pokemon Center….just for a while, then off to the next city that needs me." He explained. James had wondered briefly if it was wise to tell her when he was working. He'd be wearing his doctor's uniform, cap and mouth guard, but he'd have to take it off eventually, then she'd see him without anything to protect his identity.

"A doctor, heh, I've always wanted to be a doctor….well, for humans, not that Pokemon are any less than us or anything." She said.

'Trying to impress me now? She doesn't need to," he thought, the music still filling the room,' God, does this song have an ending or what?!'

"That's nice. When you dream, you've got to dream big, but its up to you to make it come true. Took me a long time to accomplish my dreams, and I still haven't achieved them all. My career is a start, Pokemon training is probably yours." James said, staring at her warmly. 

"Jay, you're pretty optimistic….but I think I've heard someone else say that." Misty said.

"R….really? Who?" he stuttered.

"My Dad, he was always positive about everything, even before he died. He always said I had to keep my chin up and make my dreams come true, no matter what happens. I really do miss him, Jay. Besides Mom, he was the only other person who believed in me. You've seen why my sisters aren't on my happy list already." Misty sighed, her eyes growing sad.

"Well….they weren't so tough when I battled them. Not very good losers either. But Misty, if it helps any, I think you'll go far. You're different from your sisters….in a good way. You'll be better than them because you're not as….Forgive me, I know you're sisters and all, but, you're not, to put it lightly, as rude or….conceited."

Misty smiled at him, the sadness melting away into thin air. 'Well, this is lot like digging a hole, the more taken out, the more of a grave you have. I've buried myself plenty deep, might as well be honest and let the dirt keep flying.' He mused, smiling back.

"You really think that? You're not just saying it to make me feel better?" she asked curiously. 

"I think that….and you do too. They just make you think otherwise. I know what its like to have others think for me, bossing me around like I'm nothing. Doing it on my own….without all the annoyances, I proved everybody wrong. Hey, I won't lie to you, its not easy, but if it makes you happy, go for it." he said, a cry of relief echoing in his mind as the music ended, and upbeat tune taking its place.

She was still holding onto him, staring up at him with the most innocent smile on her face. James was ready step back until he found he was still holding her. "You're something else, Jay. Really something else." She beamed, lifting her face up to him quickly. James didn't register anything until he felt her lips close over his, warm and sweet in her kiss. 'Oh boy, she's not going to kill me. She'll shred me, dice, bash, mutilate, and crush me, then rip me apart and then she'll kill me!' his mind screamed, his eyes widening,' Oh, what the heck. Quit whining and enjoy your last night alive.'

James tightened his grip around her, kissing her back deeply, sweeping her up from the dance floor. "Mmmmm!" he heard her murmur in her throat. Their lips remained together for a few minutes, and then Misty began to stiffen. 

"What's wrong? If its something I did, I'm sorry." He sputtered, her lipstick smeared on both of their mouths. 

"No, its not you. That was great. Its just that its so quiet. The music's stopped." She uttered.

James looked off towards the stage, smiling as he saw the band was still there, but then it froze. The band members were slumped in their chairs, as if they were asleep. Then he saw that there were two people standing on the stage as well, holding guns directly at the crowd. One was wearing a Psyduck costume and the other was a chicken, a Raticate standing between them

"Ok you happy people, get you hands up or we'll make you very sorry." Said the Psyduck, his voice sounding a little froggy.

'It can't be….not in a million years.' James thought, beads of sweat forming on his face.

"That's right, don't mess with us….Ugh, to heck with these stupid costumes. No more fooling around." The chicken said, a woman definitely. Both of them grabbed at their costumes, tearing them off on one deft move.

"Prepare for trouble and make it double!" the two people shouted, James' heart sinking hard as he saw the black outfits, the red "R" on each of their chests.

"No….not here, not now…." James moaned, his eyes watering.

"To infect the world with devastation." Said the woman, her blonde hair sticking out on both sides of her head

"To blight all people in every nation!" the man added, his turquoise hair glistening in the light.

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"

"Cassidy!"

"Butch!"

"We're Team Rocket, circling Earth day and night!" Cassidy said proudly.

"Surrender to us now or you'll surely lose the fight!" .Butch finished

"Cate!!!!!" came from the Raticate.

"Now, all you beautiful dopes, hands up or else," Butch ordered, raising up a Pokeball with his other hand," Charizard, go!"

"Yeah, that goes double for me. Hypno, go!" Cassidy shouted, tossing another Pokeball into the crowd. The Charizard chased the people away from the pool with its flame-thrower attack, the Hypno putting others to sleep while the Raticate joined the Charizard in carting people away. Cassidy pulled out a remote, passing by James as if he were nothing, pressing the red button on top. It beeped for a moment, then was silenced. 

James wasn't going to follow, the further away he was from Cassidy the better. "I think we'd better just do as they say, huh Misty? Misty?" he said, turning around slightly. Misty wasn't there anymore.

His head twirled about searching for her, but it was pointless to try. Her voice was beacon enough for anyone to locate her.

"What do you creeps think you're doing!? You have a lot of nerve coming here with that old hag!" Misty shouted. 

James pushed his way through the crowd, forced to crawl on all fours as he got closer Misty's shouting. As he made it out of the sea of legs, he came out just beside the pool, and gasped when he saw Misty. She was squaring off with Butch and Charizard with her Starmie.

"You again, the little twerp that hangs out with Ash. Heh, you're quite a catch now, but don't think a pretty face is gonna stop me from messing it up!" Butch laughed," Charizard, turn them into barbecued leftovers. Waste 'em!"

James stared at them for a moment, stiff and sweating. "I hate my life." He muttered, watching the Charizard rear its head back, the flame on its tail growing dangerously high.

"Oh for the love of….argh!" he groaned, rushing forward towards Misty, ramming her and himself into the cold pool water as a funnel of flames rushed past their heels. 

"What in the world!?" Butch exclaimed, staring at the rippling water.

Just as suddenly as it had happened, water gushed up in his and his Pokemon's faces, knocking them flat on their backs. James and Misty were floating on the surface, James treading water rapidly as Misty held onto him tightly.

"Jeez, who do you think you are, hero?! You're crazy." Butch swore," Cassidy, I need some help over here."

"I'm busy. I found the treasure chest, but the glass surrounding it is bulletproof and there's a lock on it. It'll take me time to pick the stupid thing. Why don't you solve your own problems so we can solve this one as soon as possible. Stop bothering me!" Cassidy shouted back, hidden by the crowds.

"Fine! I will!" Butch growled, getting back to his feet, his jaw dropping," You have got to be kidding me! Break it up already!"

Misty and her rescuer were kissing each other, both struggling to stay afloat, and neither of them seemed to notice Butch was even alive. "Ok, that's enough. No more Mr. Nice Guy!" Butch hissed out, cocking his gun. The man's eyes opened, aiming right at the barrel of the gun. As Butch squeezed the trigger, the pair had disappeared under the water again.

Butch stayed stock still, his gun aimed dead at the water. "You have to come up for air sometime! You can't escape Team Rocket!"

James could hear Butch loud and clear from under the water, bubbles escaping his and Misty's mouths as they looked up, her Starmie spinning around them protectively. James' pendant had popped out of his shirt, glistening in the water gently. He touched it a moment, looked at Starmie and pointed towards Misty then the other side of the pool. Starmie twirled again, then pushed into Misty's chest, moving her to where James had pointed. Misty was fighting it, reaching out towards James desperately, but to no avail. Starmie pushed with all its might to get her away.

'Show time, Lil' Jim.' He mused, pulling out a two Pokeballs from under his costume shirt. 

~

Butch felt like pulling off another round when the pool's water began to bubble. "Come to papa." He chuckled, his finger ready to pull the trigger. For all his anticipation, he got a more powerful rush of water smack in the face, a low growling hovering over his head.

He got back up rubbing the water out of his eyes rapidly. When his vision cleared, he wished it hadn't. " A Gyarados! How?"

"Never mind that. You're ruining a charity ball, scum bag! Muk, go!" the sheik man shouted, tossing a Pokeball right at Butch from atop the Gyarados' head. The large, purple-slime Pokemon came out, growling its name. "Muk! Sludge attack!" the man shouted.

"MUK!" the slime pile grumbled, vomiting up and acidic mass of sludge, covering Butch's gun. Butch shrieked tossing the gun away. "Ack, Charizard, flame-thrower!"

"Cute, but not cute enough. Gyarados, Hydro Pump!" The creature obeyed its master, a surging rush of water shooting from its mouth smack into the Charizard's body, sending it flying across the room.

"Yeah! Eat it, turkey!" he screamed, waving his hands around wildly, grinning. 

"Oh please, get a vocabulary, Ali Boob! Hypno, Confusion attack!" Cassidy rang out, bursting through the crowd with her Pokemon in the lead, the pendulum already swinging to its voice.

The waves smacked into Gyarados, the man's eyes suddenly stricken with panic as the water beast began thrashing about. The man held on, yanking his legs away from the creature's snap-crazy jaws, shouting for it to stop.

"Forget it, little man. My Hypno is at the peak of its power. You'll need potion to stop that kind of power and oh darn, there aren't any around. Deal with it!." Cassidy laughed, thrusting her gun back at the crowd.

The man held on a while longer, then his grip failed him, sending him flying into Butch. "Big talk from an old lady. Muk, get her gun! Acid armor against her!" the man shouted, laying a good hit into Butch's jaw. 

Cassidy looked back to see the disgusting slime pile coming towards her, the floors burning under it as it gurgled out its name, Butch and the man beating the stuffing out of each other behind it.

"Oh gross, keep away you smelly slime-ball or I'll pump you full'a lead!" she warned, but the thing kept coming, its grimy hands reaching for her," I warned you."

Cassidy pulled the trigger, sending a seemingly endless stream of bullets crashing into the Muk's wet and viscous flesh, each one sizzling upon impact into nothing. 

"MUK!" it wailed, lunging at her gun and devouring it within its body. Cassidy screamed, tossing the gun away into the pool with the Muk, looking back towards Butch for help. He and the man were rolling around on the puddle-drenched floor, still punching and kicking at each other.

"Ooooh! You're never around when I need you, Butch! Charizard! Raticate! Keep the crowd at bay! Hypno, you come with me. We need that code or no treasure." Cassidy ordered, shoving the golden Pokemon off into the crowd, the other two chasing the guests around.

"Find the Cerulean sisters, Hypno! They have to know the stupid code! Butch, finish that twerp off so we can get out of here." she screamed out, anger swelling over her face.

"Maybe if you'd help me out, Cassidy! Fists fights are not my specialty. Ow!" Butch hollered back, kicking his opponent in the stomach.

"It shows, Froggy! Get out of my face!" the man growled, his green eyes filled with hate. Butch frowned at the insult, the pair rolling over again leaving his opponent on his back. "Lights out, pretty boy." Butch sneered, grabbing him by the collar. "In your dreams, dirt bag!" the man countered, kicking Butch in his shins. Butch cried out, loosening his grip.

The man wasted no time in kicking out with both feet against Butch's chest, sending him flying into the crowd, and smiled as the guests began hitting him when he landed.

"One down, three more idiots to go. But first, Gyarados return! Can't have you hurting anyone or yourself in your state." The man announced, lifting his Pokeball up to the still thrashing Gyarados in the pool. It vanished into the ball, and he put it back on his belt, starting to turn.

Cassidy was rushing him now, and kicked him in the groin hard. "Oh….darn. Lady, you're really asking for it." he squeaked out, doubling over in pain. 

"Hah, it doesn't matter if you beat Butch. You're still a man and you have your weaknesses. Now let's see what this rank turban is hiding, you green eyed geek!" she laughed, snatching off the cloth hat from his head. He reached up to stop her, forcing himself to stand up, ramming her in the stomach with his head, but he was too late. She'd already gotten the cloth off and as Charizard started protecting Butch from the guests. Butch finally looked up, his brown eyes going wide.

"That hair! With those eyes! It can't be you! You're dead. Aren't you?" Butch gasped. Cassidy got up, still holding the cloth tightly in her hands, her eyes bulging out of her head as she looked at the man standing before her.

"James! You're alive after all, for the past 10 years you've managed to elude us!? I can't believe that, I won't! You're too stupid to have survived." She choked out, James' face not looking very hopeful.

"James? Who's James? I don't know any James, you must be mistaken…eh, heh, heh, heh." He blubbered out, but he could see they weren't falling for it. The recognition was sinking in, their eyes growing angry.

"No one else has that hair color, we should know. We've been all over the world and never seen that shade and those eyes together. Ten years of hiding and you've finally been found. The boss is going to be annoyed when he finds out you've been alive all this time. A mistake we intend to correct, Jimmy. Older or not, you're still an idiotic screw-up." Butch growled, the Charizard coming up behind him.

"That's right. The boss will be pleased to know we stopped him, not that bimbo Jessie. Raticate, Hyper Fang! Destroy James!" Cassidy shouted, her Raticate shooting past her at James.

"Oh heck, so much for my wonderful life of freedom. Weezing, Go! Poison Gas attack!" James mumbled, tossing another Pokeball, Weezing flying out spewing a dark cloud of noxious gas.

Raticate choked as it breathed it in, keeling over and mumbling stupidly as it thrashed its tiny legs and arms around. "Raticate, you idiot! Hypno, get back here! Forget the sisters, get James!" she screamed, her fists clenched at her sides.

Butch stepped forward, a stern look on his face. "Charizard! Flame-Thrower, now!" The Charizard did so, but James ducked down, the funnel of fire whisking over the heads of the crowd.

"Muk! Weezing! Sludge attack!" James ordered, the Muk shooting out of the water, vomiting up another helping of dark, grimy ooze as did the Weezing, blinding the Charizard. The creature went into a horrible rage, its flame tail whacking into Butch's back, forcing him into Cassidy and onto the floor with the Raticate.

The Hypno finally broke throw the crowd, its pendulum swinging swiftly, but James' face remained calm. "Muk, sludge attack. Weezing, smoke screen!"

The Pokemon did as they were told, blinding the Hypno with greasy slime and lung wrenching smoke. "What is he doing? I can't see a thing!" Butch whined, trying to wave the smoke away, but to no avail.

"Oh my hair! I've got Muk goop in my hair! And the smoke, ugh, it's making my make-up melt! Come out and fight like a man, James! You little coward!" Cassidy growled, tears flowing down her angry face.

"Oh really? I'm not afraid, I just want you losers out of my life, for good! Weezing, Explosion! Send them packing!" James shouted, lifting his hand to the sky.

"Weeze….Weezing!" the Pokemon uttered, glowing a bright crystal blue, its features disappearing as the light poured out of it. 

"Oh no!" Butch whimpered.

"He wouldn't." Cassidy said in a shushed voice.

"Rati…Cate….cate?" the Raticate said curiously.

Weezing exploded, shooting the humans and their Pokemon through the ceiling. "He would!!!!" Butch and Cassidy wailed as they went sailing off through the star filled sky," Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again!"

"Cateeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Raticate screeched, all their voices echoing until they disappeared into the night sky.

"Jerks." James muttered.

"James?!" screamed a voice. James looked back, biting his lip as he groaned. "Oh no….Misty! I….I…." he stuttered, his heart thumping madly as he stared at her tear filled eyes, her lips quivering.

"James….is it really you? You're….alive." She said, her voice trembling. James was frozen for a moment, wanting to blurt out everything at once to her, to say he was sorry for lying, but his mind was a blank. All he could do was look at her.

"JAMES!"

James unfroze at the sound of a young man's voice, whipping back around to see the guy has familiar black hair and a Pokemon League hat, a Pikachu holding onto his head. 

"Ash!?" James yelped, staggering backwards," Uh, Muk return. Weezing, get me out of here!"

Muk went back into its Pokeball while Weezing dipped under its master, letting him hop on its back, floating out the busted ceiling. "Later Ash, I don't have time for battles or explanations. I have to get out of here!" James shouted back, his Weezing taking him outside quickly.

~

Misty watched James go, then looked at Ash, whose face was growing red and his teeth were clenched tightly. He saw Misty as she was walking around to his side of the pool. She knew she looked a little flushed and wet, but she wasn't hurt, physically.

"What's going on Misty? I leave to go to the bathroom for five minutes and Team Rocket shows up to beat the stuffing out of each other and you just watch!" Ash scolded, taking off his hat a moment to scratch his head. 

"Uh, you weren't here? What exactly did you see when you came back?" Misty asked, cautiously.

"I saw you and Starmie shooting out of the pool, then James and a Gyarados trashing Butch. What, did I miss something?" he asked, replacing his hat. Misty sighed in relief, Ash giving her a puzzled stare.

Misty sighed again, trying not to laugh at his lack of taste in costumes. He was wearing his a superhero costume with a white "**SA**" plastered on the font of the red costume with a long blue cape down his back. He'd bragged how it stood for "Super Ash," the Pokemon protector of Justice. She'd commented that it was more like "Super Airhead." That was the last time she'd talked to him during the party.

"Where's Vera?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"My girlfriend? Oh, she kind'a got sick, I forgot she'd allergic to fish and gave her a crab puff. Her Mom came by and took her to the hospital, but told me to stay and have a good time for Vera's sake. So I did." Ash confessed, laughing nervously.

"You big dope, you could have killed her like that. Your problem is that you never think, you just do it. That's one of your many problems, other than having a huge ego." She growled.

"Hey, can I help it if I'm a babe magnet as well as the ultimate Pokemon master? You're just jealous cause I got all the badges and you didn't." Ash smiled, but Misty just grumbled at him.

"But aside from how incredibly wonderful I am, that was James who just floated off. We have to go after him and stop him from stealing the treasure….or whatever he's here for." Ash put in.

"Yeah, so how do you suggest we find him? He doesn't exactly look or act as dizzy as he used to. And he was beating Butch and Cassidy up, not helping them. I think something is really different about him." Misty scowled, shoving him out of the way.

"So what? He usually finds us….eh, so where would I go if I were James?" Ash wondered aloud, rubbing his chin, Pikachu shaking its head.

"Chu…." It squeaked out.

"Ugh, why don't we try the Pokemon Center for starters, Sherlock?" Misty groaned, reaching into her purse. "Huh? Why would he be there?" Ash asked.

Misty pulled out a small black wallet, opening it to reveal James' face on a license, smiling brightly. "James Hartman, Pokemon M.D.?! Its gotta be a fake? Doesn't it?" Ash mumbled, but Misty shook her head.

"When he saved me from Butch, he made my Starmie get me far away from him, but I grabbed at him. I ripped his pocket open and grabbed his wallet. I found out who he was when I looked at it, Butch and Cassidy just confirmed it. But, there is one small problem." Misty explained, stuffing the wallet back inside her purse.

"And that is?" Ash asked. 

"We have to wait for the security system to get fixed and that'll take forever, knowing my sisters, it could be the rest of our lives." Misty sighed.

Ash just shrugged, snapping his fingers. "I wish I'd brought my other Pokemon with me. I could have caught James and we wouldn't have to worry about tracking him down. Man, your family is lame."

"What? Why are we all lame so suddenly?!" Misty screeched, punching Ash in the eye. He flinched a little, but was phased in the least bit. Misty didn't care if he was taller and had some muscle to him, he was still the same egotistical jerk he was when they journeyed together.

"Because, they didn't have enough security to protect the treasure chest or the guests." He said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"My three sisters are lame then, Mom and me didn't plan this party. Just shut up and be patient. He's not going to get far without his wallet." Misty declared, running off into the crowd.

"Come on dummy," she added," We have to find my sisters! They may be dumb, but they have the key to the security office. It's our only way out." 

"Ack, fine. Dang, why'd I have to screw up with Vera? Now I have to be with the four bubble heads the rest of the night." Ash muttered, running after her.


	5. Ch. 5-Emerald Tears Shattering

Chapter 5 **__**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of "Pokemon," but I own Piouso and Joy's boyfriend/husband, and daughter.

Chapter 5

**_Emerald Tears Shattering_**

"What do you mean he's gone?!" Ash hollered.

Nurse Joy looked stunned by his outburst, touching her chest gently in surprise. "He left a few hours ago. He said he had to leave on an emergency case, a private one. I'm not allowed to tell anyone where he is." She said in an annoyed tone.

"But its very important, Nurse Joy. He's….he's in terrible danger." Misty piped up suddenly, shoving Ash away. Tears filled her crystalline blue eyes, her lips quivering with sorrow. "Really? From who? Who are you to him?" Joy asked, her eyes curious.

"We're very dear friends of his, and we don't want him to get hurt or arrested." Misty cried, waving his wallet in her face. "Arrested? What for?" Joy gasped.

"His wallet, we caught the thieves who took it from him, but then they escaped us. They said they would hurt him when they found him. We've got to return his wallet to him and warn him of the danger he's in. Please, if you have any compassion, you have to tell us where he's gone! It's a matter of life and death!" Misty wailed, the tears flowing faster.

"Ok….ok, he's in Lavender Town for his relocation. He's at least a day away. If you can help him, please do so. He's such a sweet young man. He doesn't deserve to be hurt after all the fine work he's done for his patients." Joy wept, tears now streaming down her cheeks.

"Thank you, don't you worry Joy, we'll take very good care of James. Bye!" she sniffled, quickly dragging Ash out of the Pokemon Center.

"Hmm, what nice young people. It's rare to be so caring for one person's welfare. How sweet." Joy sighed, waving at them kindly.

Misty kept weeping until she and Ash were out of Joy's view, wiping the tears away and running swiftly down the street. 

"Nice job, Misty. Didn't know you had it in you to be so deceptive." Ash commented.

Misty didn't smiled, but replied with," I wasn't lying completely. We do need to find him and keep him from getting hurt by Team Rocket. They didn't seem too happy to see him. And Jessie told us he died in an explosion the last time we battled her. He looks pretty lovely…..uh lively….for a dead man. We catch him first in Lavender Town and find out what he's up to, agreed?" Misty explained.

"Oh, whatever. Doctor or not, he's still the enemy. Let's get back to your house and change, then we'll take my car to Lavender Town." Ash puffed out, sprinting ahead of Misty.

"Yeah, you got it." she replied, a sad look in her eyes. 'James….what are you really up to? Why didn't you run from me the first time….why did….you kiss me?' she thought to herself, looking up dreamily at the starry sky as she ran on.

Two heads poked out from beside the Pokemon Center as she vanished over the horizon, their eyes slanting down wickedly. "Lavender Town….huh? And he's a doctor now? My, my, James has been a busy little boy. The boss isn't going to like hearing this or that we failed." Butch grumbled, his fists clenched.

Cassidy patted him on the shoulder, smiling. "Yeah, but Jessie will be even more ticked off, and she knew how to control him. Even better, she's already in Lavender Town poisoning the river. We'd better call the boss on the way to Lavender Town so dear Jessica knows to expect us." Cassidy chimed out, and they both ran off through the dark alley.

**_~Lavender Town~_**

*Two Days Later*

****

"Ash, would you keep your head down. He's going to see us." Misty whispered, yanking Ash back down into the bushes. It had been a long and tedious trip, Ash talking about how many different Pokemon he was going to beat James up with after he was done with him, then went onto hogging the phone to talk to Vera. Misty didn't know how long they'd talked, but it was enough kissy noises and pet names to drive her insane. She hypothesized that the walls of the hotel must have been made out of paper.

She was glad when they arrived in Lavender Town late in the afternoon the next day, sleeping for a few hours next to the Pokemon Center, in Ash's car. His snoring was slightly more tolerable than his late night phone calls to Vera. She was ready to strangle him if she hadn't seen James pass by the alley with a ghost Pokemon trailing behind him, a small metal case in his hands. Misty had to kick Ash awake and get him up to tailing James.

Now they were watching James taking out samples in test tubes at different sections of the river, a Haunter carrying the little case around still, putting it down every so often. What puzzled them was that he was talking to Haunter as if he was a person, and the Haunter would respond simply with its own language and James would reply as if he understood.

That had been roughly two hours ago, and now James was filling the test tubes with colored tablets and fluids, the color of the water changing almost randomly. Haunter was watching him, as were a few new ghostly guests that decided to join the pair, Gengar and Ghastly. Those two ghost Pokemon were swirling around Haunter and James like darkly glowing windstorms, laughing out their names and frightening any other Pokemon that came near them.

"It looks like a meeting or something, but what are the test tubes for?" Misty whispered. 

"He's probably planning to make some kind of potion to hurt Pokemon or control them. He's James, does it need to be anything else?" Ash hissed.

"Ash! Keep your voice down….and quit making accusations. Why would the Pokemon Center give him a few vials, bottles, and glass tubes to take over the Pokemon world? Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds?" Misty shushed him, her eyes going back on James. Haunter and the others were no longer with him, but he hadn't seemed to notice, still staring at a vial of water that had turned black.

"This is not good. Someone's poisoned the water, but the toxic pattern is familiar. I have to take this back to the Pokemon Center….but maybe a few more tests will make the lab tests easier." James was saying, putting a cork in the test tube's opening and placing it back in the small metal box. He took out another vial of water and a bright red tablet.

As he dropped the tablet in, the once clear liquid turned black again, and James started biting his lip. "Not good at all. I have to bring this back now." He told himself, corking the tube shut and putting it in the box. He shut it tightly, looking around himself steadily. "Haunter! Time to go! Tell your friends good-bye for now!" he called out, standing up slowly.

His back turned to them and he started calling out again. Then, to Misty's horror, Ash started lifting his head up again.

"Cut it out! Do you want him to run again?" she hissed out.

"Stop worrying, there's no way he can see or hear us. Just relax," He whispered out, yelping a little as Pikachu started pulling on his hair," Pikachu, quit it."

"HAUNTER!!" a voice screamed, sending Misty and Ash leaping out of the bushes in fright. James' hair stood on end a moment before he whipped around to face them. Misty could have died as the color drained from James' face, his jaw dropping.

"Misty?! Ash! How'd you find me!?" he screeched, backing up as Haunter re-materialized beside him. 

"Yeah, James, we tracked you down here to stop you from going through with your plans. Never thought we'd find you, huh? Not only am I a Pokemon Master, but an excellent detective too!" Ash boasted.

"For Pete's sake, Ash, we have his wallet. It doesn't take a genius to use that….Hey, where's James?" Misty shouted, her head whipping in every direction. "He made a run for it. See there he goes!" Ash shouted, running beside the river. Misty went after him, seeing he was right. James was running away from them with the small metal box, Haunter no longer with him.

"You won't get away, James! Venusaur, I choose you!" Ash shouted, tossing his Pokeball square into James' back making him stumble a bit.

"Venusaur!" announced the Pokemon.

"Venusaur, Vine whip! Catch that creep!" Ash commanded, and Venusaur did so, shooting out its brown vines, lassoing James' legs, then his arms to his sides, sending him crashing into the ground. The small metal box hit the ground as well, but it didn't open as it bounced across the grass hard.

"OW! Haunter! You and your practical jokes! Next time lick people spying on me!" James screamed, rolling onto his back to see an angry looking Ash and a confused Misty standing over him. "Hold him, Venusaur. He has a lot of explaining to do." Ash said grimly. 

"I do not. You'll just twist my words so you have an excuse to beat me up." James muttered, wriggling against the vine ropes about him. "Oh yes you do, like what you were doing at Misty's sisters' big ball? Huh? Trying to steal the treasure all by yourself and Butch and Cassidy got in your way is what I say happened."

James smirked, then looked at Ash as he rolled his eyes. "I went for the food, for fun. I don't do crime anymore. I just went for a short vacation, that's it! I didn't plan on those rejects crashing the party. I wasn't even going to help….until they threatened to….hurt people." He drawled out, turning his head towards the river, away from them both.

Misty took a step forward, pulling his wallet out of her duffel bag, rubbing it hard with her now sweaty fingers. "You're sure….that's it? Didn't you think my sisters or I would be there? They would have recognized you."

"You and Daisy didn't, then again, you were fighting in front of me. And that's why I was wearing the sheik costume, so you wouldn't see my hair. Lot of good it did me when I got hungry, and danced and….umm, never mind." James said, sweat forming on his face.

Ash grabbed him by the head and made him look at them. "Yeah, like we believe that. Venusaur, put the squeeze on him. Maybe then he'll start telling the truth." Ash ordered.

James' eyes bulged, tears pouring out from them as his teeth grit hard. "ACK! I'm telling the truth! Stop it!" he screamed, struggling harder," Or else."

"Or else what? Haunter abandoned you and you can't reach your Pokeballs either. I doubt a little weirdo like you can even challenge Venusaur. I dare you to try anything, come on!" Ash taunted.

"Ash, stop it! You said we'd get him to talk, not kill him. Stop it already, you big jerk!" Misty shouted, yanking Ash away.

"You should listen to her, 'Ashley.' She's got more brains than you'll ever have, at least she's not abusing her Pokemon privileges. You're never supposed to use your Pokemon for personal conflicts, especially, *gasp*, not on doctors either! Don't make me hurt your Pokemon!" James warned, his face turning red.

"Try me. Go ahead, I dare you. You haven't got the grapes to do it, or the ability." Ash grumbled, shoving Misty away, right into a tree.

"Argh! So be it!" James choked out, his face going blue as the vines tightened," Haunter, Dream Eater!"

Haunter materialized as his name was called, hovering over Venusaur with a blackness forming about him. They became black orbs that seemed to melt into Venusaur's skin. Ash could only stare as his Pokemon got a surprised look on its face, then total fear. It began screeching out its name, the vines loosening around James.

"What the heck is Dream Eater?" Ash gasped, whipping out his Pokedex, lifting it up towards Haunter.

__

'*Beep* Dream Eater, this gas Pokemon's most effective attack. It sucks out the opponent's soul, putting them into eternal sleep.' his Pokedex clicked out, Ash's face going white.

"Their soul!? No! Venusaur! Resist it!" Ash cried out, but it didn't do his Pokemon any good. It was already too weak to stand up, slumped on the ground limply as Haunter continued its attack. James had already gotten free and on his feet, and was now staring at them both. "Haunter, cancel your attack. Time to jet!" he ordered and sprint off past them. The Haunter obeyed him as its attack halted and went after him.

"OH, Venusaur! Are you ok?" Ash yelped, stumbling towards his injured Pokemon. "Ve….venus….aurrrrr." it croaked out, breathing shallowly.

"He didn't kill it. He cut off the attack when he was winning….James could have killed Venusaur, but he didn't. Don't you see, Ash, he might just be telling the truth." Misty rang out, patting the grass Pokemon's cold head.

"Yeah, maybe, but we have to get Venusaur to the Pokemon Center right now or he will die. And that means James has nowhere to run if he is what he says he is," Ash said quietly," But until then, Venusaur, return!"

**_~The Warehouse District~_**

Butch was sitting languidly in a cut up old easy chair while Cassidy adjusted their video-link to headquarters. He got out of it when Cassidy threw a Pokeball at his face for not helping, forcing him to kneel down and help her out.

"It's done, no thanks to you. You're starting to get very lazy, Butchy." Cassidy hissed, her fingers poking at the controls angrily. The screen fizzed for a while, then the two saw their boss sitting, as usual, in his throne-like chair, his Persian laying peacefully in his lap.

"It's been a long time, you two. Were there any problems with the treasure heist?" he asked, petting the Persian delicately. Butch looked at Cassidy, who in turn looked at him, their expressions nervous.

"Well? ANSWER ME!" Giovanni shouted.

"Sorry boss, but we didn't get the treasure and some real bad news that prevented us from getting it. Still, we went back for the treasure, but it was worthless, just a bunch of dresses and silk shirts worn way back when. Not even the lock was made of gold, eh, heh, heh. So you can see why it's not a total loss." Butch chuckled out, sweat streaming down his face.

"I'm still not happy that you FAILED!" their boss screamed, slamming his hand on his throne," So what is this other bad news!? If it's that Ash brat or Jessie, I don't want to hear about it!"

"It's much worse than that, sir. Its….well, its James." Cassidy put in, gulping as Giovanni made a slight strangled choke. "James? What about him? You found more body parts, correct?"

"No sir, we found all of him, very intact and alive. He's been hiding from us all this time….and….you won't believe this, he's a doctor. We're in the town he fled to after the Cerulean City thing." Butch drawled out.

"Has he talked?" Giovanni asked.

"We aren't sure, but he has some very high level Pokemon. We followed him here to Lavender Town and copied off his file at the Pokemon Center, when he left to take samples of the river water. Jessie and Meowth's handiwork, I presume." Cassidy added, pushing Butch aside.

"Mmm, you have to bring him back, we have to make sure he hasn't talked before we re-fire him. And yes, Jessie is stationed where you are. Are you saying she's close to being discovered?" he asked.

"No sir, but we, as much as this will shock you, need those two to help us capture James. Maybe we could use his new talents to the fullest. Think of all the medical bills you'd save on with him back under your thumb, and his Pokemon can steal thousands more if we motivate him in the proper manner." Cassidy smiled.

"You have my interest, Cassidy. How will we get him to come back? And don't make up stupid elixirs and gases to do the trick. I tire of such foolishness." Their boss grumbled, the Persian wide awake now and nuzzling against him.

"We copied his personal file from the Pokemon Center, sir, and it had a delightful phone number that's in Sunnytown. We found out he has a little sister, as well as new parents. And at the party, he was making out with that pest Cerulean Gym leader, Misty. If we could kidnap them all, hold them hostage, he would have to give in to us. There's no way James would let innocent people be hurt over him. He proved that much when he saved that red-headed goody-two shoes from Charizard, and all those guests he didn't know. Believe me, sir, I have a good feeling this will really work, for the benefit of evil." Butch explained soundly, gaining a nod from Cassidy as he went on looking up at Giovanni's image with earnest.

"Not bad, but why waste such a good plan right now? Keep tailing him, with Jessie and Meowth from now on. If the lot of you can't force him to come back, knock that nitwit out and then kidnap all of these….hmmph….special people. You have your orders, get going and don't you dare fail me again. Over and out!" he hissed, the screen going blank in a flash.

"You heard him, Butch. Let's get to the reservoir and tell Jessie. I can't wait to see the expression on her face when we tell her that James is still alive. She'll freak….then she'll beat the living daylights out of that traitor." Cassidy grinned, slapping Butch on the back.

"Yeah, then we get some payback too. Show that back-stabber what it means to cross us." Butch added, raising his fist up high.

~

"What do you mean you don't want me to go in? Venusaur's going to die if I don't get him in there, Misty! The Center is going to close soon!" Ash shouted, shoving the Pokeball in her face.

"You tried to kill James back there! And that's not like you! That was downright homicidal! You're not interrogating him again, I am." She stated.

"I'm going in too then. I don't trust that weirdo!" Ash countered. Misty shook her head, snatching his Pokeball away from him. 

"You are not, not until you cool down! I'm doing the interrogating from now on if you're going act so insane," she scolded, backing up towards the glass doors," You just hate him because he and Jessie fooled you so many times with their disguises. And they got you to wear a dress! It was for the sake of your Pokemon, for you both."

"He's still a jerk and weirdo. You don't how humiliating and nauseating he is to me. He hasn't kissed you on the cheek! He's a demented fruitcake." Ash growled.

"That's….not the point," she said, blushing," It doesn't matter, beating the snot out of him isn't going to tell us anything except that we're cruel, worse than he ever was. I won't let you go in, Ash!"

"Try and stop me!" Ash challenged, his head lifting up as the Pokemon Center started to close up. "I will. Like so!" she growled, kicking him in the groin. Ash shrieked loudly, falling to his knees, forced to watch in pain as Misty ducked into the Center, the metal gate blocking his way inside. 

"Whew! Never thought anything could hurt that muscle head," Misty breathed, looking back at the metal gate," Well, if he's not here, I'm in for a long and boring night."

"Chansey…." Said a chirpy little voice. Misty looked before her to see the pink, egg shaped Pokemon in nurse attire, the little egg in its pouch, smiling at her. "Is uh….darn, I never really learned Pokemon language, but, would you nod if Dr. James Hartman is still here?"

The Chansey nodded. "Chansey!" it beamed, taking the Pokeball from her. "Oh, well, the attack was Dream Eater. My friend was using his Venusaur to….catch a Haunter, it didn't want to be caught. So, can you do anything to help it? Oh, and tell me where James is?" she asked, getting another nod and the Chansey started to waddle off towards the emergency ward double doors. Misty pushed it open for the Chansey, following it down the long dim hallway. 

After a few minutes, they reached a maternity ward, passing by a large window shielding eggs and babies, and numerous other Pokemon newborns. They were all quiet, which was eerie. Pokemon babies had the same habits as humans, crying or howling out whatever they could. It seemed strange to Misty that none of the babies were crying or even cooing at all.

"Chansey! Chansey!" her guide chirped out, pointing towards a smaller window on the opposite wall. Misty crept up to it, and peered inside cautiously. James was in the room she was looking into with a large Arbok, one that was very much in pain. Poison was leaking out of its mouth, but there was a glass tub under its bed catching it, sizzling and bubbling with it toxic juice. 

"Arbooooooookkkk!" it moaned, its shining purple body writing in agony, but James just patted its head with one rubber gloved hand. 

"Shhh, I know it hurts, but you're almost through. Childbirth is painful, but it'll be over soon. Begging for your death is not going to make it end any sooner." He told it, the Arbok calming a little, then it made a face as James took out another shimmering egg.

Misty watched in awe as he and another Chansey assistant took great care with each egg, as if they were made of gold. He took out ten more eggs before he stopped reaching his hands in. "Ok, Arbok, its all done. Your babies are going to the incubation room, they'll hatch in the best of care, trust me. Your owner will be very proud of you, so many babies from such a slim figure." James commented, administering a shot into Arbok's coils.

It looked up at him, flitting its tongue out gently, and weakly cracking a smile. "Arbok….Bok. Arbok." It said weakly, then fell slowly to sleep. "Yeah, don't you worry, I won't break any of them. And trust me, Joy will see you out by tomorrow afternoon." He offered, patting its head gently, before walking away. 

Misty heard a sink being turned on, then James' humming. She started to back up, turning towards the Chansey, but it was gone. 'It had better things to do, like saving Venusaur. You came here to confront James, just wait for him to come out and he's trapped. He wouldn't dare make a scene in a hospital.' She thought, moving away from the window into the center of the hall. 

**Chapter 5**

**_Tale of a Pokemon Thief_**

Misty waited patiently, listening to the ruffling of clothing and the light clanging of medical instruments. James' soft footsteps sounded within after a while, getting closer to the door with each step. The door swung in gently, James backing out quietly without his hospital uniform on, just a lavender shirt and black jeans, his hair a little messy, probably from being stuffed in the surgical cap. His eyes were aimed inside the room, a small smile crossing his lips. 'Looking after his patient. What could have made him change from a vain jerk into a gentle humanitarian?' she wondered, remaining still as he shut the door.

He turned slowly, his eyes moving up, and then he saw her. He froze, looking about ready to run, but all he did was stand there, his emerald eyes filling with fear. She raised up her arms slowly, shaking her head. "James, I didn't come here to hurt you. I swear." She told him.

He was still motionless, watching her every move. "Yeah? Then why are you here anyway? To turn me in? Is Ash waiting in the lobby to kick the stuffing out of me again?" he asked, his voice suspicious.

"No….no, James. I'm here alone. I came to get Venusaur fixed up….and….to talk with you. No battles or anything, just to talk. Plain and simple." She explained, taking a cautious step towards him.

James was still in place as she stepped up to him. She pulled off her duffel bag and tossed it to his feet. "See? All my Pokeballs are in there. You can see for yourself. I only want to talk, James, that's it. You can tie me up if it makes you feels better, just don't run. Please." She pleaded.

He looked down at the bag, poking it with his shoe, then looked back up at her, his body relaxing. "Pick up your stuff….*sigh*….and follow me." he said quietly, turning around slowly. He walked away from her, looking back every so often at her cautiously. She grabbed up her bag and jogged after him, following him through the dimly lit halls.

They went on walking for several minutes before James stopped next to a door with a Snorlax sign painted on it. He turned the knob, then held it open for Misty, keeping his eyes fastened on her as she passed him into the room. He shut it quietly behind him, locking the door.

Misty saw that there were many cots in the room, with fluffy white pillows and blankets. She looked back, seeing James leaning on the doorway with an almost defeated look on his face. 

"It's where I sleep, and any trainers who don't want to be far from their Pokemon. It's not like my bed back home, but I'm not complaining as long as I get some rest. Pick any one you like, then we can talk." He drawled out, pushing at the lone lock of hair that hung down the center of his face.

Misty nodded, sitting down on the first cot she passed. James sat down in front of her, his fingers twisting together nervously. "James, I'm not Ash or the cops. I just want to talk….about what you've been doing these past ten years. Jessie did say you died in an explosion….not that she sounded too broken up about it." Misty sighed, trying to make eye contact.

"I'm not surprised. She left me for dead anyway on that island." He grumbled. Misty put her hands on his and squeezed them gently. "What happened to you, James? Jessie never really had time to tell us anything….we were to busy battling her, before I had to return home." She admitted, shrugging slightly.

"I bet she didn't tell you why we were on the island, now did she?" James offered, Misty shaking her head," I thought not. For the best of friends, she sure didn't act like one. It was on an uncharted island, a ways from Sunny Town, shrouded in mist. Our boss….Giovanni had fired us, but was willing to give one of us a second chance. Only one, the other one would be shot through the brain and left to rot on the island. Get a Pokemon or get a bullet, either way, me and Jessie were bound to be separated. I found Jessie after hours of walking, screaming how happy she was….that she was going to live….but we'd agreed before we left that if either of found a Pokemon, we'd call out to the other. We promised each other we would…."

"And she didn't." It was a statement, not a question. Misty could tell from the way his voice was cracking, struggling not to cry, that Jessie had hurt him then, that she'd lied to James in the worst way.

He nodded, rubbing his throat for a moment, then coughed. "Yeah, she just ran off, not even calling my name. It hurt, not just the fact that I was going to die, but….the fact the only friend I had after I ran away from home had stomped on our friendship like it was yesterday's garbage. I decided to hide in the ruins she came out of with her Pokemon, for as long as I could until they'd come after me, but my luck….I wandered for a long time, till I reached a dark room….lit a match….and boom! Everything went up, even me. I would have drowned if it hadn't been for Nurse Joy and her boyfriend. They got me to a hospital….and even took me in because I had nowhere to go. She took on the role of being a mother to me."

"How sweet, but didn't she recognize you from the bike gang?" Misty asked, James finally looking up at her.

"Maybe, but she never said anything. She welcomed me into her home with open arms, I was very touched. I even got a few part-time jobs after a few weeks, and a haircut. I was being given a second chance at life, and I wasn't going to screw it up like the last time. I saved for a year or so, and Joy even donated a little to get me into to Pokemon Technical. The students knew who I was picked on me, beat me up, but I wasn't going to go back to the life I lived before. I couldn't, Misty, I had to show Joy how much I appreciated her and her boyfriend caring for me, like I was their real child. I couldn't let them down."

"Seeing you now, I guess you did pretty well." Misty smiled, and James returned it, tilting his head to the side. "Yeah, better than any of the other students expected. I passed just as good as anyone on my own. No help from anyone, and I passed all the way to graduation….and I went home, attended Mom's wedding. I felt like I really had a life, a family. I had a mother, then a father, and later on my Mom had a daughter, Kara, my first little sister….but….well, with family and all, I didn't feel like I was contributing enough. I wanted to do more, to do better, so I enrolled in Pokemon Medical. I signed up for grants and scholarships….everything to pave my way through medical school. It took a longer time than Pokemon Tech., but it was worth it. I got my license….and I made money for the family in helping out with Mom's practice. I know you'll think me selfish when I say this, but don't worry, you're not the only one. I still wasn't happy."

"Why the heck not? You had access to the Pokemon League, the Centers, a family, what more could you have wanted?" Misty asked.

"I wanted real freedom, Misty. I was still looking over my shoulder at night, no matter where I was. I was afraid all the time that Team Rocket would find me….kill me, then my family. I left home after medical school cause I was so scared, to do what you, Ash, Brock, and Tracey did. My own Pokemon journey, I caught my own Pokemon with the ones the school gave me, battled the gym leaders and earned my badges. Just anything to keep myself away from home, so my family would be safe. I didn't want them to get hurt over me, and it made me very paranoid. It is my fault that they know I'm alive. I shouldn't have let my guard down for a stupid party. Now all my worst fears are going to come to life." He muttered, his head sinking down into his hands, then looked up a little.

"It was nice to be the hero for once. For ten years, I've just been James Hartman, from student to doctor, I've never been anyone's hero till a few days ago….it cost me my secret identity, but I guess it was worth it to do what you all did in the past. It felt good." He said, smiling gently. 

"Eh….yeah, heroism has its perks….doesn't it?" Misty chuckled, blushing a little. He noticed it, and blushed brightly, rubbing his nose nervously. "Well, back on the subject, I guess I'll have to take out Team Rocket now instead of waiting them out. Now that they know I survived, hiding won't work anymore, but it won't be as prepared as I'd hoped it would be. I don't have enough money to do it perfectly….I'm stilling paying my debt to society with most of my paychecks. To every gym and town me and Jessie caused damage in….it was the least I could do to make up for my past evils." He sighed, lifting head back up fully to hers.

"That's very noble of you, James. Funny how near death experiences can change your perspective. I never would have thought you even had a heart for anything except yourself." she chirped out, patting him on the shoulder. She felt him twitch slightly, the muscle hardening under the skin, but he didn't push her away.

"Hey, that's not fair. Don't you remember when we all had to help Pokemon at the human hospital? I showed I cared enough to help Pokemon that weren't my own. I even begged Ash to give Togepi to Meowth because he took such good care of it." he shot back, looking hurt.

She smirked at him, saying," And I recall that you and Jessie tried to steal all of the Pokemon at the hospital and you didn't bother to help Meowth battle us for Togepi, now did you?"

"Well," he sighed," You're still not being fair. I was a dumb kid then, I would have listened to any half-baked idea Jessie, Meowth, and Giovanni would tell me to follow. I was getting paid to do what they said then, not for what I said. I didn't have the strongest backbone then, I admit, so it was my fault for listening to their dribble, and might I add that Meowth said he didn't want my or Jessie's help to get Togepi and it was Jessie's idea to steal the Pokemon. I was rarely allowed to have any plans. I was stupid, ok?! Stupid!"

Misty was quiet a moment, then opened her mouth, but he cut her off. "It is my fault, I know that, I always have, but I'm trying to make up for it all. I really am. I'm going to be paying for long time for not thinking for myself. I was always following the crowd, trying to fit in….when I ran away it was Jessie for a long time, then the bike gang, then Team Rocket….none of it was my own choice, I just followed Jessie because she was all I ever had. These past ten years have been great, making my own decisions, my own life made by me only. I'm ashamed of my past and so would everyone else who came to respect me. They'd hate me if they ever knew." 

He was crying a little, as if it hurt to even talk about. It wasn't like his usual tears, it was slow, his nose and eyes a little red. "James, I'm sorry."

"Why? You didn't make me who I am." He countered, wiping his tears away gingerly. "No, if I had just left Team Rocket alone at the party, you never would have been discovered. Your life sounds so nice, and I ruined it by trying to save the day on my own." She mumbled, lifting her hand to his cheek, catching some tears on her fingertips.

"I never thought I'd ever hear you take the blame for an idiot like me," he chuckled, taking her hand in his gently.

Misty smiled warmly at him, touched by the pain in his eyes. She leaned in towards him, taking his lips in hers slowly for a long time. She felt his hand squeeze hers, then it trailed down her arm, gently across the skin. His arms encircled her waist, rubbing her back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, the kiss deepening. 'I can't believe who I'm kissing! If he wasn't so sweet and cute, and such a good kisser….Oh, I'd kick his butt.' She thought, feeling his hands go through her hair.

He was kissing her back, like in the pool, with more feeling than the first. She wondered if he was just trying to make her pity him or if he was seducing her, but she pushed those thoughts away quickly. He'd been afraid and nervous the first time they'd kissed, fighting her to keep from getting close, but she hadn't known who he was then, though she'd liked him anyway. As much as she'd tried to hate him, to remember who he'd been, she couldn't help but feel bad for him, or care for him. 

She felt him pulling away from her, his bottom lip brushing against her chin. She opened her eyes at last to see his staring right at her, his mouth curved into a smile. She blushed, ducking her head shyly.

"Where's Ash?" she heard him ask.

"Ash? Oh Ash, he's….uh, outside. He was still, well, kind of in a the mood to hurt you still, so I had to….humble him so he'd get locked out." she shrugged.

"What did you do?" he asked curiously.

"Kicked him in the groin." She chirped, trying to look innocent..

"You little minx. Still as tough as ever….but enough chit chat. I have a long day tomorrow….and I have to explain things to Ash….as much as you think I should anyway. We'd best get some shut eye." He coughed, looking a little embarrassed. 

"Yeah, we should," she sighed, getting under her covers quickly," See you in the morning….James."

He nodded, going over to the light switch, smacking it off, then all was dark. She heard his footsteps approaching her, then felt a light kiss on her cheek. 

"Good night, Misty." He said, then she heard nothing.

~

Misty woke up at noon the next day, alone. She leapt off her cot with a start as she saw James' was empty, the sheets hanging off the side. 'He better not have run off again. Then no kiss in the world will keep me from beating him to a bloody pulp.' She thought, stumbling towards the door.

She ran out and down the halls, peering in every window she passed, but no James. She finally burst out of the emergency doors, slipping to a stop. She fell right on her rear in her haste, but her eyes were pleased with what she saw.

"Yes, she was an excellent patient. It was painful, but she was the proud mother of 85, and in a few months, 85 healthy little baby Ekans. You're on you way to better breeding, Tara." James was saying, to a rather tall blonde girl wearing a blue shirt with a smiley face on it, her jeans hugging her legs tightly.

"Thank you, Dr. Hartman. I'm so glad you came on such short notice. Arbok doesn't like coming to the center, hates any other humans to touch it but me. I'm happy that she's learned to trust at least one doctor." She chirped out, her blue eyes shining up at him.

"Anything for a Pokemon, Tara, it's what I was trained to do. You just give Arbok her painkillers and the diet she always receives, then she'll be as right as rain. If she's still in pain after the medicine is gone, bring her back and we'll check on her to see if she needs more painkillers. No battling whatsoever now, Tara. She'll rupture her reproduction system or worse, she'll start bleeding. Absolutely no stress, all right?" he said sternly.

The girl nodded and walked out the door, then turned, winked and blew him a kiss. She was gone after that and James walked back to the desk, his face full of disgust. "Bimbo. That Arbok is lucky it even made it to the emergency room." He mumbled, then saw Misty on the floor.

"How long have you been there?" he asked, helping her to her feet. "Long enough to see another ridiculous flirt." She grumbled.

"I get it all the time, I think its either my hair or that I'm a doctor. Some girls dig rich guys, especially when they're so young. It's a gift and curse sometimes, and it makes what I do very difficult with some floozy grabbing my butt while her Pokemon is dying. Makes for quite a lawsuit too." He shrugged, letting go of her hand gently, then moving behind the desk, punching something on the computer. 

She stepped up beside him, staring at him. "How many?"

He looked back at her a moment, then back to the computer. "How many what?"

"Women? How many of them have you dated?" she asked, more earnestly now.

"Ah, you did have more questions then….Kind of personal, but I get that from a lot of girls. To be frank with you, at least 12, give or take a few disasters." He said plainly.

"What disasters?" she yelped.

"One named Haunter, or they just couldn't take my paranoia any more. None of them liked Haunter, that much was true. He freaked them out and they couldn't get used to his pranks….or the gaseous smell he gave off sometimes. I got used to it, but they refused to. Some would just up and leave cause Haunter wouldn't, or the usual edginess I had a tendency to show off. Color me crazy, but I had other things on my mind than keeping a date." He smirked, shutting the computer off.

He moved away from her, shrugging out of his lab coat. He was wearing a purple button down shirt and dark jeans, and sneakers, pleasant in color and style from the doctor uniform he usually wore. She smiled, he was as handsome as ever, not as ditsy and weird as she kept remembering him as a boy. He wasn't even touching his hair, a mess of tangles and sweat, the vanity he'd once had seemed distant.

"You're already done?" she asked, trotting after him back through the emergency ward. 

"I work the night shift, and this was a temporary job. I was to come and find what the cause for the so-called stomach flu that's been ravaging the Pokemon of the area. It was poison derived from an Arbok's venom, toxic to other Pokemon and humans," he sighed, entering the employee locker room," Its also easily cured by some antidotes and super potions. I'm going to the next town that needs my services, Celadon City."

Misty kept with him, watching him stuff his lab coat into his bags, then slamming the locker shut.

"An Arbok, huh? You think its Jessie's?" she asked, stepping back as his face soured. 

"I wouldn't put it past her or the boss. I don't know how they'd get rich quick with that one, seems pretty vicious even for Team Rocket. I have other sick Pokemon to check on before I leave, since the hospital now knows to search the river and reservoir, and they know how to cure the sickness. If it is Jessie, I want to get as far away from this town as possible, with or without Haunter. He always catches up with me anyway." he shrugged, walking back out and towards the lobby again.

"What about….me….and Ash? We could help you. Three people get along a lot better than one against….well, who knows how many Rocket members are after you right now." She piped, grabbing him by the arm as he entered the hallway.

He stopped, then looked back at her hand as it held him, and up to her eyes. "You feeling suicidal or something? I'm going it alone, Misty. I don't want anyone hurt because of me. I have to do this on my own." He told her, yanking his arms away from her and stalked back down the hall.

She went after him, trying to keep in step with him. "Why? Why just you!?" she snapped. He didn't stop, only looked at her, pain filling his emerald eyes.

"Because it's my problem. I was in Team Rocket, I ran from them, not you. I have to deal with it, this is all my fault that I'm in this stupid mess." He retorted.

"I don't care, you can't make us stop following. I….we want to help you. If you're against Team Rocket, then we have to join you. What do you think me and Brock and Ash do when we're not home? We're stopping them as best we can whenever we can. Don't give me this crud that you have to go alone. 'This is my fight, I can't let you get involved, blah, blah, etc. etc.' Oh, if I had a dime for every time a guy said that to me, I'd be rich." She countered

"Did I say you were weak? NO! I said this is my problem, therefore I solve it. I don't want anyone to get hurt or involved with this. If they see either of you helping me, you…..your families, friends, their necks will go right on the chop with mine. No thanks, just stay clear of me until I finish this….or it finishes me." he pleaded.

"You're being stupid now!" she yelled as they came back into the lobby, Joy sitting calmly at the desk, until she heard them yelling. 

"What? Why am I stupid!?" he shot back, slamming his bags on the ground.

"Taking all this pressure on your own just because you used to be one of them. Please! Spare me, James, Team Rocket already has us on their hit list cause we've stopped them so many times, and they never come after us. How's this any different? I'll tell you, it isn't because Team Rocket could care less about little people like us. Pokemon trainers are nothing to them unless they wear a big fat red 'R' on their chests and have rare Pokemon," she shrieked, wagging her finger at him," We're nothing to them, James, they only want you because you know more about them anyone outside the team. You need our help, whether you think so or not! Even if I have to tie myself to you motorcycle and ski behind you, I'm going. And so is Ash." 

James just stared at her, wincing a little while she screamed. Joy was staring at them in alarm, her hand on her cheek as she shook her head. "You really want to come with me? Its not to make sure I don't go back to them, is it?" he asked, picking up his bags again.

"No, its to make sure you come back alive….I….care too much about you to see you lose all you've worked for, to lose your family….because you went it alone. I want to help, and I know I can convince Ash to help. Please, James, you don't have to take all the burden by yourself. Let us help you." she said, in a more pleading voice, her hands clasped together.

He looked at the floor a moment, biting his lip. A thick lock of hair fell across his cheek, innocence glowing on his face as he thought there, Misty only watching and waiting as he stood there, still as a statue.

"Misty….?" He said quietly.

"Yes?!" she chirped.

"Ok….you and Ash can come, but it's your funeral. But I have a few rules….Maybe its best I tell you and Ash together than have to repeat myself to the brute." He said, giving her a faint smile.

"All right! Sure…." She beamed, grabbing him in a big hug," He's waiting in the alley outside, its where we parked. I promise, I'll make him understand."

"Yeah, just so long as his Venusaur doesn't give me another hug. I prefer yours, specifically." He chuckled, kissing her forehead softly.

"Thanks, James….And speaking of which, we better get Venusaur or Ash will accuse you of stealing him." she said, pulling away slowly.

He put his bags down beside the desk, shaking his head. "I wondered when you'd say that. Ash is still as big headed as ever….heh, it'll be fun to be smarter than he is." He smiled.


	6. Ch. 6-Triple Trouble on the Double

Chapter 6 **__**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of "Pokemon," but I own Piouso and Joy's boyfriend/husband, and daughter.

Chapter 6

_Triple Trouble on the Double_

"NO WAY! No, forget it! I'm not traveling with that whack job." Ash grumbled, turning his hat backwards on his head as he scowled. James didn't look any more thrilled than Ash did, standing next to the younger man and frowning.

"Ash, how many times do I have to tell you. He's against Team Rocket and he needs our help to stop them….permanently. The more we fight about, the closer Butch and Cassidy are going to get." Misty put in, crossing her arms over her chest.

Ash shook his head rapidly. "No, Misty, we agreed we'd follow and confront him, not make friends. Have you forgotten all the misery he caused us with Jessie in the past? Huh?!" Ash growled, shoving James.

James kept frowning, and shoved him back, harder. Misty stared at the two for a while, thinking about Ash's words, but at the same time she observed both men. Even with Ash's good build, James looked about the same, but was an inch or so taller than Ash was. Neither man looked particularly happy to see each other, their frowns deepening with their heated glares. James looked more unhappy, probably because of Ash's actions the other day, Misty guessed.

"I remember, Ash, but do you see Jessie around? Or Meowth? Heck, maybe he's got you beat with despicable acts, but you're no angel yourself. I haven't shunned you for a few things, so don't do it to him," Misty said, pointing at the both of them," I know your deeds aren't the same, but he could have let Butch trash me and he could have sent his Haunter to hurt us too, but he didn't. I say that's pretty darn noble for someone who's just pretending. We're going as a trio to take down Team Rocket, then you can go wherever you want, ok Ash?"

"Mmmph, I still don't trust him. He's still the same creep who never stopped trying to capture Pikachu….and dressed up like a sissy girl!" Ash hissed venomously.

James just looked at him, a wicked smile on his face. "I'll try to remember that the next time you need your wimpy butt saved, _Ashley. _Still have that dress _you _picked out in the Celadon Dress Shoppe? It was pink…right? And that darling, girly wig, heh….blonde so suits you." He snickered, stepping to the side as Ash took a swing at him.

"I'll go get my motorcycle packed. You can follow me to the next city, if you can keep up, Ashley." He added, walking over to his vehicle, tossing the bags in neatly.

"I can do anything you can do and much better, James. You can bet your Pokemon on that." Ash hollered after him, running for his car, dragging Misty along behind him. 

Misty heard James laughing, like icicles shattering in her ears. He had his black helmet on and gloves, his head cocked at them as he revved his engine. "I like my Pokemon too much to lose them over such a weak promise. Better luck next time, Ash, when you've learned to think with your brain, not your rear." James shouted back, the motorcycle engine coming to life. Misty buckled her seatbelt as Ash turned his car on, pulling it out of the alley and following James to the outer limits of Lavender Town.

~

"Slow down, you weirdo. This is a country road, not a highway." Ash yelled over his engine, James still in the lead, whisking down the dirt road as if it were nothing. "You snooze, you lose, Ash. Get a decent ride and you might actually catch up." James called back, seeming to increase his speed, just to annoy Ash more. 

"He's doing it on purpose now. I told you this is going to be a pain, but no, you and your peaceful alliances to get the job done. We could have done it on our own, we don't need some reject from Team Rocket around. Heck, I could have done it all by myself. I became a Pokemon master without anyone's help." Ash grumbled, shooting an accusing stare at Misty.

She glared at him. "Oh please, without me Brock, Todd, Tracey, and half a dozen other people, you would have messed up years ago, still trying to get your stinking first badge. You're still a big headed jerk, Ash Ketchum, Pokemon Master or not. Once James beats his boss, he gets a badge from the top Pokemon Gym Leader in the world….then Gary is next, you, and the Elite Four."

"Why are you sticking up for him? What did he say to you? So what if he beats Giovanni? Big deal, I have all the badges and I did it the hard way, a Pokemon journey. He went to that fancy prep school and did it less than a year, the easy way. He was probably given all of those Pokemon he uses." Ash shot back, but Misty kept going at him.

"For you information, not only did he go to that prep school, he went to Pokemon Medical, which you didn't, and he went on his own Pokemon journey after that and got his badges. Giovanni will make the final one, then the rest is history. He did it all by himself, unlike you." she hissed out, smacking him upside the head.

The car swerved a little, but Ash quickly steadied it. "There you go again, defending him, and you left that stuff out of the explanations he gave you. What's so special about that skirt wearing ex-con? What the heck did you two do last night? You're as stubborn as a mule, Misty. I don't get how he could have convinced you of anything with your rotten attitude."

She blushed a moment, remembering the kiss James had given her that night, then started rubbing her cheeks rapidly. "We talked….ok? He's under a lot of strain. He even cried about it, and not that crybaby type stuff he used to do. Why can't you just let bygones be bygones and give him a break?!" she blurted out, leaning back in her seat.

Ash sneered, looking at her for a brief second before pushing his eyes back towards the road. "The second I give him a break, I'll be the one wearing the dress, and that won't happen in a million ye…….WHOA! NO!" he shouted, slamming on his brakes as hard as he could.

Misty looked up in time to see why. James was leaping out of the way with his bags from the motorcycle, which lay overturned in the middle of the road. Then she felt the grinding impact as Ash's car rammed into it, sparks and twisted metal ripping through her ears as they came to a crashing halt.

"Misty? Pikachu? You both all right?" Ash muttered, rubbing his head, switching off the engine.

The tiny Pokemon nodded, squeaking out a stunned," Chu." Misty nodded as well, pulling off her seatbelt. "Good, now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to break James' face for trying to kill us!" he raged, leaping out of his car, Pikachu going with him as they ran James was sitting with his bags beside him. Misty followed swiftly, getting between the two men before Ash could try and tackle him. 

"What's the big idea….stopping your bike without even warning us?! Are you insane!?" Ash screamed, shaking his fists at the fallen man.

"Pikapi! Pika, Chu! Chu!!" Pikachu said, looking equally as angry.

James peeled off his gloves off, his voice coming out angry and hurt. "You think I did that on purpose?! You're the crazy one. Look at the road, Einstein, it's covered with glass, and spikes. Go on, see for yourself." James challenged, picking himself up slowly.

Ash did as he was told, his angry features melting away as he did. "He's right. But who would do such a cruel thing?" Ash said.

James moved up beside him and Misty, and she saw how hurt he really was. He had a cut on his hand, his knees were both bleeding and skinned, but not too badly. He clothes were dusty, as if he'd taken a nasty fall. "I saw them in the road. I was honking my horn as hard as I could so you'd stop, but you two were fighting. I had to jump off at the last second before my tires exploded. I even yelled for you to stop. Now we'll have to wait for a tow truck….if we last that long out here."

"What do you mean, if we make it?" Ash asked.

"You said so yourself, why would anyone do such a thing to travelers….way out here? This spot is very far from any city. We're practically in the middle of nowhere, I'm lucky I have a cell phone or we'd have to walk all the way to Celadon City. This cruddy trap was planned for us….and I hate to admit it, but I think I know who." James muttered, backing up a little as he patting his helmet.

"Team Rocket, of course. Why didn't I think of that?" Ash swore, snapping his fingers and walked towards his battered car. Misty rolled her eyes, saying," I could think of a few reasons."

"Nobody asked you, Misty. We'd better get moving if we want to stay ahead and alive. If Team Rocket isn't around now, all this noise will get them here in a big fat hurry. Help me get our stuff out." Ash called, trying to yank his pack out.

"Yeah, yeah, but let's hurry," she said, moving towards him, when a hiss reached her ears," Hey, um, Ash, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Ash groaned, still pulling at his pack.

Misty moved closer to him, staring at his tires. "It's a hissing sound, but all of your tires are popped. Is it the engine?"

"No, I turned the engine off. You're hearing things." Ash scoffed.

"No….she's….urk….not!" James choked out, a hiss following it, louder this time.

Misty and Ash turned around slowly, their eyes going wide. James was still near his bags, but with something extra, a very large and mean looking Arbok that was wrapped about him tightly.

"They're here…." Ash and Misty groaned.

"That's right twerp. Prepare for trouble and make it double!" Butch and Cassidy's voices rang out, then the two leapt out from behind Arbok and its prey.

"To infect the world with devastation!" Cassidy said wickedly.

"To blight all peoples in every nation!" Butch added, standing to Cassidy's back, each with one arm extended out proudly.

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"

"Cassidy!"

"Butch!"

"We're Team Rocket, circling earth day and night!" Cassidy smiled.

"Surrender to us now or you'll surely lose the fight!" .Butch concluded, their Raticate jumping in front of them.

"Cate!!!!!" it yelled, gnashing its teeth at them.

"Raticate! Get those twerps, tackle attack!" Cassidy yelled, tossing another Pokeball after it," Venomoth, stun spore those brats."

"Yeah, Hypno, head butt!" Butch added, tossing his Pokeball in.

Their Pokemon did as they were told, charging at the two stunned people. Pikachu leapt after Misty, who was scrambling into the car, digging into her duffel bag before the things reached them. The Hypno and Raticate rammed into Ash's chest as he readied his own Pokeball. His head jerked back hard, right into the car door. Misty heard the sickening thud as she stuffed the Pokeballs in her pants, and saw Ash slump to the ground.

"Ash! Oh no! You two are going to really get it….Oh!" Misty yelled, then the Rocket Pokemon noticed her, surrounding her quickly. She tried to get away, but Venomoth's stun spore was showering down in her and Pikachu, paralyzing them.

~

"That was too easy. You brats have gotten real sloppy over the years." Cassidy smiled, grabbing Misty by the hair and dragging her towards Arbok. She tossed her in front of Arbok and James, his throat looking terribly blue.

"Ugh, Jessie, tell that overgrown garden snake to ease up a little. We need him alive for the boss either way." Butch groaned, picking up the stunned Pikachu.

"Fine," said a familiar voice," Arbok, loosen a little, but not much. Lil' Jim has a lot of explaining to do."

James didn't bother turning his head and Misty didn't look like she could if she'd wanted to. He knew the voice, it hadn't changed in ten years, the same haughty, seductive tone his best friend had spoken with.

"Jessie…." He choked out, trying to catch his breath again. 

"How sweet, you remember me….hmmm? Well, James, let's see what you look like under there. Cassidy and Butch just said you were different, and you know how miserable they are at everything." She cooed, standing in front of him, Meowth beside her.

"Yeah, the little idiot's a big idiot now. He fell for such a simple trap." Meowth laughed.

She was the same, only a little taller with the same figure. She was as pretty as she had been the day he last saw her, but some things were different. She no longer wore the uniform he'd grown to appreciate as a member of Team Rocket. Instead she wore an outfit similar to Cassidy's, but her slim stomach was still uncovered, and she wore a red shirt under the black outfit as well. She looked more evil than ever, and it bothered him.

Meowth was still the same, but that didn't shock him. Meowth despised his evolved form Persian like the plague. How he'd managed to prevent his own evolution, James didn't know, but it didn't matter right now. 

He didn't have time to think about it as Jessie pulled his helmet off, the breeze moving through his rumpled hair. Jessie was smiling, moving closer. "My, my, they didn't tell me about the haircut. It suits you. You won't be able to disguise yourself as a girl with that look, but its still quite….manly. You really are different." She snickered, rubbing under his chin with her gloved fingers. James didn't move, his eyes aimed at Arbok, its flitting, venomous tongue coming out a mere breath from his face. 

"No need to be afraid, James. Arbok just missed you….to death, you might say. You better start talking or I'll have to take drastic measures. What do you say?" she smiled, kissing his cheek.  
He shivered, trying not to show it, slowly looking at Jessie. He could still feel the coldness of her lips on his cheek, the lipstick infecting his flesh and chilling his blood. 

"What do you want me to say?" he asked, and Jessie raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm, even your voice has changed. This is very interesting. Now, this isn't a social visit, James. We're just here to offer you a proposition. And maybe more if you say yes." She smiled, running her fingers through his hair.

"Just spit it out. I'm a busy man….And I love my ability to breathe too." He muttered, looking down at Misty. Her legs were twitching a little, but weakly. He frowned at that, and Jessie noticed.

"Oh, they told me about your locking lips with this little twerp too. I don't know what you see in her, she's still a brat. Not as beautiful as me, hah, I can't even fathom what you were drinking to make you want to even touch such imperfection." Jessie sneered, kicking Misty in the ribs and Meowth scratched at her face. Misty shed tears, but she still couldn't do anything about it, and remained silent.

"Hey! Leave her alone! She isn't the one you're after. So you'd better tell me your deal or just have Arbok bite my head off." James yelled, struggling.

"Yeah, Jessie, we didn't come here to flatter or hear your vain excuses. We came for James." Cassidy sneered.

"Don't talk to me that way, you spoiled brat!" Jessie growled, then slapped James," And you, never raise your voice to me. You're not on the team yet and anyway, you'll be taking orders from me for running off on us, you beast!"

"Don't get your cheap panties in a bunch! If the deal is for me to come crawling back to Team Loser, you can shove that proposal where the sun don't shine! I'm never coming back. I'd rather die than be back under your…..withered thumb." James yelled.

"Uh-oh, he's gone nuts." Butch said, dropping the paralyzed Pikachu.

"Yeah, totally crackers." Cassidy muttered, backing away.

Jessie's face tightened up, Meowth's eyes going wide as he zipped away from her. James kept his face straight, his eyes fastened dead on with Jessie's, her eyes going aflame. "What are you saying? And you'd better take that withered crack back or else!" Jessie growled, slapping him again.

"No, you stupid old hag! You betrayed me, our friendship, everything! For what, a team that gave us nothing but misery and pain?! And you still want to be a part of that!? You are so dumb, you withered, imperfect, tacky…..scrawny ditz!" he screamed, smiling all the way.

Jessie blinked a moment, her teeth grinding against each other before she let out an inhuman scream. "WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" she wailed, rushing at James in a full blown rage.

As she reached him, James jerked his head back, Jessie falling short of a few her swings. She fell into Arbok, her boot heels jamming into its coils. James felt Arbok loosen its grip a bit, but not enough. "Sorry, Arbok, but this'll hurt me more than it hurts you….maybe." he said, and bit down hard into Arbok's body.

"ARBOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" it screeched, it coils falling away from James' body and crashed into Jessie. It slithered around in circles rapidly, screaming with Jessie hanging onto the end of its tail.

James picked Misty up and ran into the woods. "Stop fooling around, they're getting away!" Cassidy shouted," Raticate, Venomoth! Go after them!"

James kept going, jumping into a bush with Misty and watched quietly as the two Pokemon passed by. "Misty," he whispered," Are you all right?"

"Yeah," she returned," I can move. Give me a few more minutes, I'll be able to walk on my own soon. But what about Ash….and Pikachu?"

"We'll have to go back," he said, checking his belt, his face souring," Um, what Pokemon did you get from your bag?"

"Starmie and Seadra, I'm sorry, but I didn't have time to be picky. I just grabbed what I could. Why?" she asked. He lowered head, pointing to his belt. "I only have my Weezing and a Beedril. They're at high levels, but against Arbok they won't be so good. Poison versus poison is as bad water versus water. The others they can handle, but….it might not be enough."

"But we can't just leave them." She began, but he smiled. "I never said we wouldn't go back. We just need to distract them long enough….they'll be too busy trying to beat us back to worry about Pikachu and Ash so they can recover. I have a plan, only as long as you're willing to go through with it."

"If it will teach that old bat Jessie a lesson, bring it on." She grinned, sitting up a little," Oh, after I can feel the rest of my body."

"Sure, now here's what we'll do." He began, whispering quietly to her.

~

"Ooo, they'll be back, Ash and Pikachu are still here, along with their other Pokemon. A fitting price for him stabbing us in the back." Jessie grumble, putting bandage on Arbok's coils. 

"It's your fault we lost him, you and your vanity problem. You get so miffed about your so-called beauty being insulted….*sigh* Do you know how many Pokemon your and James' vanity cost us in the past? You still cost us a lot of them, even without him around." Cassidy growled, getting in Jessie's face and snarling. Raticate and Venomoth were a few feet away from them, shaking their tiny heads at their masters' fighting. Neither female looked happy with each other, growling and raising their fists up, Butch forced to watch with the prone Pikachu in his hands.

"You girls are ridiculous, fighting over words. We just have to catch him and bring him back, that's all, not rip each others lungs out over a few comments. Grow up already!" Butch hollered. 

"You stay out of this!" they screamed, sending Butch jumping back a few paces.

"He sounds pretty reasonable to me, Jessikins." James voice rang out, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Come on out, you coward! Fight like a man!" Jessie screamed, her Arbok coming up behind her.

"I will, but how about a blast from the past, old friend? Big emphasis on old," James laughed," Weezing, smoke screen. Hit it, Misty."

"To protect the world from devastation." Misty's voice announced, the Weezing shooting out of the woods, forcing everyone into a foul darkness.

"To unite all people's within out nation!" James crooned.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

Jessie was getting angrier every second she heard their old motto, then a few dark forms stood before them all as the smoke cleared.

"Misty!" Misty said, making a peace sign, her Seadra leaning against her

"James!" holding a single red rose between his bare fingers.

Then the two raised their hands to the sky, the other hands out in front. "Team Pokemon blasts off at the speed of light!" Misty said proudly.

James looked at the three Rocket members, his mouth curving into a wicked smile. "Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Weeze, weezing!" Weezing groaned out, floating down in front of them.

Jessie, Cassidy, and Butch stared angrily at them. "That motto is old hat and insulting, James. How dare you make a mockery out of the great Team Rocket!" Jessie sneered.

James shrugged, tossing his rose at her feet. "Too late," He chuckled," But enough talk. Beedril, twin needle attack. Weezing, sludge attack!"

"Starmie, water gun. Seadra, hydro pump!" Misty ordered.

"Oh no you don't. Venomoth, sleep power!" Cassidy yelled out.

Venomoth dove at Starmie, swirling around the water attack, the glitter of its sleeping power showering upon Weezing and Starmie. They fell over, stunned into the unwanted sleep within seconds. 

Its victory was short lived as a powerful blast of water slammed into Venomoth's body, sending it crashing into Cassidy. The woman and Pokemon fell onto the muddy ground, slipping and shrieking together as they tried to get up. 

"Hypno, psychic attack the insect!!" Butch growled, his Pokemon springing into action. Beedril was charging at Butch, its stingers poised to sink into the turquoise-haired man. Hypno landed in between them, its pendulum swinging and rays of echoing light pouring out from its body. "Hypno, hypno….hypno, hypno." It chanted, staring up at the still attacking Beedril.

The bug Pokemon started to swerve around, its wings weakening. "Yeah, finish it off with a head butt! Now!" Butch ordered, the Hypno rushing its head up at the Beedril. It slammed its skull into the torso, the creature sailing backward, buzzing madly. It landed at James feet, laying limp and quiet as its body hit.

"Ack! No! This isn't working. Misty, get the heck out of here, I'll get Ash!" James said, but Misty shook her head at him. 

"No way, baby, we do this together or not at all. Seadra. Hydro pump, full blast!" Misty shouted, holding the Seadra in front of her.

"Sorry, twerp. You can't beat us, no matter how hard you try! "Arbok, poison sting!" Jessie announced, Arbok jumping out from behind its master, it fangs bared. Seadra brought up another giant stream of water, but not as powerful as Misty had hoped. Arbok avoided it easily and charged at her.

"Oh no, Seadra! Without a water source, you can't keep your powers from draining quickly! Seadra, return!" Misty yelped, pulling her Pokemon back into its Pokeball.

"Misty!! You don't have time for that….Look out!" James hollered, shoving Misty out of Arbok's path. He felt like a truck had hit him when Arbok made contact, the poison from its attack stabbing into his arm. He cried out as the fangs sunk in a few second later. James struggled, punching at the snake's eyes and scratching at it wildly, but it was no use. He thought Arbok would never let go, until Jessie spoke up.

"Never mind him, Arbok, bite that little tart that took him from us. Then squeeze her until her scrawny little head pops off! No one upstages my beauty, not even that little harlot." Jessie hissed out, Arbok letting go of James and quickly slithered towards Misty.

She had been leaning against a tree the whole time, and James saw why as he looked at her. Misty's foot was caught in some vines, and she was still trying to free herself as Arbok moved in for the kill. Before James could even move to help, Arbok bit her in the leg, making her scream, then wrapped about her body tightly.

"Jessie! Stop it! She's not a part of this. You came for me, not her!" James screamed, glaring at the laughing woman. 

"Anyone who seduces my old partner is my ultimate concern. Why would you want an ugly little duckling like her when you could have a real winner like me, a true beauty queen? We tried to make it simple for you, but since she seems to be your main concern, she's part of the problem. Hah, hah, hah, it will so worth while to turn her into worm food for all the nasty old people jokes she used on me. I should have known you'd like her, she never made fun of your looks, of how handsome you are. She's had this coming to her for a long time, and this is as good a time as any for a lot of payback!" Jessie smiled, looking very proud.

James did not share her enthusiasm, his face going beat red, eyes blazing with hatred and contempt. "How dare you, you worthless old cow! You're killing her because of hurt pride!? Pride!? You've got to be kidding me. Jessie, you haven't changed a bit, you're still the same old vainglory, egotistical, obstinate, self-centered, whining little spoiled bitch you always were, just as abusive to everyone around you as ever! You still think you can get away with hurting people because things don't go your damn way! Well, time to wake up, Jessie, no more Mr. Nice Guy. Time for you to feel what a real Pokemon can do to trash like you!" James raged out, a sneer spreading across his once gentle features.

"Why you rotten little brat! You have no respect for the team anymore. You were better off dead, to hell with our hopes of bringing you back alive. After we're done with that little witch, you're next. You have no more Pokemon left, James! You're finished!" Jessie cackled," Arbok, tighter. I don't see any veins popping in her skull yet!"

"I have one trump card left, you wretch," he grinned, grabbing the blue ball on his necklace between his fingers," Piouso, rise!!"

~

"What? What's Piouso? Huh?" Jessie said quizzically, then a bright blue light emerged from the small crystal ball. Jessie, Cassidy looked away, shielding their eyes, but Misty couldn't take her eyes away from the light. She watched the light wrap about James' body, his form seeming to disappear. Her eyes stayed open, afraid that if she blinked, she'd never see him again.

As the light died down, James was gone, a tall, blue figure floating in his place. To her, it looked like demon, two horns sticking out of his head, its face only having two wicked, irisless eyes, claws on each hand and smooth feet. It looked like it was made of a light blue crystal, similar wings plastered on its near transparent back, its arms were crossed over its chest as it stared down at Team Rocket, still shielding their eyes.

Misty felt Arbok pull away from her, mumbling its name quietly, and slithered off next to Jessie and nudged her leg. "Huh? Who are you?" Jessie yelped, staring up at the crystal creature.

"Piouso, the Pokemon to end them all. You harmed my subjects…. And my vassal. You are to be punished, human." It said, its voice sounding robotic, deep and guttural. Its eyes glowed a bright white at the trio, its body moving towards them.

"Fat chance, we're too busy to bother with you….unless you'd like to make it easy on yourself and surrender to Team Rocket. The boss would love a new Pokemon, the rarer, the better." Jessie grinned, taking out a Pokeball.

"Suit yourself, weakling. You will suffer for such insolence." Piouso hissed out, unfolding its arms slowly.

"I'll show you who's weak. Arbok, wrap attack!" she ordered, but nothing happened. She looked at Arbok angrily, but the Pokemon was staring up at Piouso, calm and smiling. Jessie turned towards Butch and Cassidy, seeing their Pokemon were doing the same thing. They didn't look frightened or stubborn, they were in awe of the new Pokemon, as if they were respecting it.

"Arbok! I said attack that freak of nature!" Jessie urged again, trying to push her Pokemon forward, but it wouldn't budge. Butch and Cassidy tried the same with theirs, only resulting in failure.

"Ugh, I'll do it myself. Meowth, my bazooka." Jessie ordered. Meowth did so, but reluctantly, his wide eyes fixated on the hovering being. 

"Maybe you shouldn't, Jessie, I've never heard of this type of Pokemon existing. You might regret firing at it." the cat Pokemon warned, getting a punch in the skull as Jessie snatched the weapon away.

"When I want your opinion, I'll give it to you. Prepare for major trouble, Piouso. You're about to become twins." Jessie laughed, pulling the trigger.

As she did, Raticate bit down on the device, ripping through the metal like a hot knife through butter, but still, the bazooka shell fired. Arbok finally moved and tried to block it, getting blasted sky high for its efforts. Hypno was attacking Butch and Cassidy, scratching and head butting them repeatedly.

"What are they doing? Have they gone crazy?" Jessie groaned, then shrieked as Raticate started chasing her around with gnashing teeth.

"I told you that you'd regret it." Meowth reminded her. 

"Wise words, from such an unfortunate Pokemon. Your masters do not deserve such as you and the others, my children….my disciples." Piouso uttered as it raised its arms up high, glowing brightly.

"Meowth! I only follows Team Rocket and the boss. I work for them, not some disciple thing. And I'm not a child. I just know when not to risk my neck." Meowth hissed, baring his claws.

"Your words have little meaning for me, you want to be more human….not Pokemon, but this does not matter to me. This so-called battle ends now. Team Rocket, heed my warning, the next time we meet will be the day of your ultimate destruction. Do not encourage this encounter to happen, or you will be very….very sorry." It warned, glowing even more, the colors going from blue, to purple, then red. 

"We just want James, fork him over and we'll never have to meet again. Now tell us where that little coward ran off to!" Jessie screamed, holding Raticate's face down in the dirt. The furry Pokemon was still struggling, muffling out its name angrily and its teeth biting rapidly at the dirt.

"You really don't get it do you? You can not have my vassal, no one can. For your impudence, you will pay." Piouso boomed, the bright red light flashing out from its body, and screams filled the air.

Misty shielded her eyes, feeling the intense heat from Piouso's attack just licking at her skin. As it lessened, she looked towards the screams. It was Team Rocket and their Pokemon sailing swiftly through the sky, charred, battered, and crying.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" the three and Meowth shouted out, disappearing into the distance.

Piouso was still there, now on the ground and standing in front of Pikachu. She watched it touched the small electric mouse, a light blue glow pulsing from its claws into the tiny body. Pikachu stirred slightly, staring up at the new figure aiding him. "Pika!Pika….Chu, chu, chu!" it squealed happily, smiling.

Piouso didn't stay with it, walking over to Starmie and Weezing to do the same healing touch to them as well. Misty finally found the strength to stand up, opening her mouth timidly. "You're a Pokemon, right?"

Piouso turned a bit, and nodded. "I've never heard of you. Are you like the Mew Pokemon? Only one left in existence?" she asked, her voice gaining some enthusiasm.

"No, I have always been one, not hunted to extinction by your miserable ancestors. Mew, Seadra, Weezing, Pikachu….all Pokemon are my children. You should ask my vassal such things, I care nothing for worthless human prattle. Ugh….Not now, don't wake up." Piouso groaned, grabbing its head. It fell on its back, kicking and howling in the dirt, a small white light forming in his chest, his heart, Misty guessed.

The she heard a familiar voice, James', almost choking his words out, sound from the writhing crystal body. "Piouso, return."

Piouso let out a hollow wail as its body lit up, its crystal form fading into flesh and blood, and clothing. After a minute, James was laying in his place, his left arm covered with blood.

"James! Oh, are you all right? What should I do?" Misty cried out, rushing to his side, placing his cold head in her lap. His eyes fluttered open weakly, a small glitter of recognition appearing in them. "My bags, I keep a medical kit in one. Bring it here." he rasped out. Misty set him against a tree carefully before going for his bags, dragging the heavy parcels to where he was sitting. She search the first one with no luck, only finding clothes, money, and some toiletries within, but the second one proved to be the better choice. 

She pulled out the black medical bag out and set it next to James. He opened it with his good arm, and pulled out a few vials of bright liquid, some bandages and a needle. "You clean up the wound, then I'll inject the anti-venom and you can bandage it, ok? I have some rubbing alcohol on the bottom of the bag. Can you do that?" he asked, jabbing the needle into a vial of white fluid, pulling the plunger back to drain it out.

Misty nodded, and grabbed the bottle out and a cloth rag, and ripped off his shirt sleeve, holding her nose as the metallic smell of blood reached her. She quickly cleaned off the blood and traces of poison from his wound, being careful not to hurt him. James injected the needle's contents into his blood, giving a small sigh of relief as it started to work. Misty bandages him up carefully, moving slower each time he winced.

"Where do we put all this stuff now?" she asked, setting the rag on the ground. "Simple," he uttered, reaching back in his bag," I always make sure I have something to keep it from sticking someone. I'll prepare another one for you afterwards."

He pulled out a cork and small plastic bag, corking the needle point, then tossing the rag and needle into the bag. He tied the end in a knot and stuffed it bag in the black bag, tossed in the alcohol and empty vial, then shut it. "I can have them disposed of at the Pokemon Center in Celadon City. I'm a doctor, remember, oaths were taken to protect the environment and Pokemon as well as other humans. I'm not inhuman." He said, stuffing his black bag back in his duffel back, zipping it closed as well.

"I know that, but….what about Piouso? What is he in the Pokemon world? How come no one's ever seen him?" she said quietly, getting a hurt look from him. He was about to say something when a groan interrupted him.

"Oh man, my head's spinning." Ash muttered, getting up dizzily and rubbing the back of his head.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu said happily, rushing over to its trainer and climbing up his body to sit on his shoulder. "Pikachu! You're all right. Ow, Team Rocket, you're going to pay for hurting Pika….chu? Hey, where'd everybody go?" Ash whined, stomping his foot on the ground.

"James and me took care of them. Last we saw, they went sailing off into the sky, like always. Really Ash, you worry too much." Misty said, wagging her finger at him.

Ash looked at them, his eyes lowering on James' form, then smirked. "Arbok?" Ash said, pointing at James' arm. "Yeah, Jessie hasn't changed one bit, which isn't a real shocker, but there's no time to worry about that. Team Loser won't hesitate to come back after us, believe me, I know how stubborn the members can be," James said gently, reaching into his other bag, and pulling out his little, gray cell phone.

He dialed quickly and started walking away from them, talking to a tow truck service, while Misty and Ash stared at their wrecked vehicles once more. 

"He's not so weird now that he's saving our butts, now is he Ash Ketchum? He told you so." Misty sighed, in an "I told you so," fashion.

"Yeah, yeah, so what if he did? He's still James. Maybe he's trustworthy, so what, I still don't have to like him. I just don't get it why you're being so nice to him. You'd think you owe him one or something." Ash grumbled, moving away from her with Pikachu, kicking his car door.

"Can a person be that dense? Yes, if its Ash Ketchum you're talking about, he's more dense than water. James and I are lucky he wasn't around when we were kissing, he'd die from shock….heh, I nearly did too, but…." She said quietly, looking back at James, who had long since hung up and was preparing a needle of anti-venom for her," He's so different, appealing….I can't put my finger on it, James is just so….so….good now. *Sigh* We'll tell Ash someday, James, appalled or not, I don't care. I still….love you, James, no matter what people say, I'll always have that."


	7. Ch. 7-God of the Pokemon

Chapter 7  **__**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of "Pokemon," but I own Piouso and Joy's boyfriend/husband, and daughter.

Chapter 7 

**_ God of the Pokemon_**

Ash, Misty and James sat in the tow truck the entire way to Celadon City, their massacred vehicles being carted off behind them, nothing but a tangled heap of metals and glass. Misty looked back at it occasionally, sometimes thinking it was a weird bit of modern art and other times, a tragedy. 

She saw the car and motorbike for the very last time when they were dropped off at the Pokemon Center, a worried Nurse Joy greeting them at the doorway. She hugged and kissed James as if he were a child, crying her little eyes out over how happy she was that he was safe.

"Oh, you poor thing. Your mother would have kittens if she ever found out you had an accident. But it wasn't you fault, honey, just rotten practical joke by delinquents. That's all it was, oh, you're hurt, come on, let me take a look at it for you, ok?" she wept, her face near drowning from her tears.

"Joy, you're embarrassing me. I'm a big boy now, I treated myself for the wounds. It was just a little accident, the insurance company will take care of it. Don't worry so much or you'll put my own mom's nerves to shame." He chuckled, giving her a gentle hug.

"Oh, well, I was just so worried. Your mother called me this morning to tell me you'd arrive this afternoon to help out, but here you are, 10 o'clock at night and you are brought here in a tow truck with mangled vehicles behind you. I didn't know what to think, James dear," she cried, wiping her eyes," But don't you fret either, you don't have any patients tonight. Miss Erika and her friends volunteered to help until you arrived. We were all so worried, honey."

James nodded, then said," Yes, and I will thank them personally when I get the chance. I am still a Pokemon doctor. I'd like to see how the patients are doing so I can commend those fine ladies for all their generous help. I can't thank them if I don't know what they did, now can I?"

She smiled, clasping her tiny hands together. "You're right, James, it would seem hollow if you thanked them without looking. Oh yes, and Erika has that perfume fragrance you ordered a yesterday, Daffodil Dre….Mmmph!" 

"Ooo, ah, thank you, Joy, I will pick it up in the morning, ok? No more talk, take me to the patients, chop, chop. No more perfume talk." James blurted out, keeping his hand over Joy's mouth as he rushed them both into the emergency ward.

"What was that all about? I don't get why he's scared of a perfume order." Ash shrugged, going over to the phones.

'Dense, it's a wonder he and Vera stay together. Idiot.' Misty thought, shaking her head in disbelief. 

"What are you doing, Ash?" Misty piped up, walking quietly over to the emergency doors.

"I haven't talked to Vera since we started tailing James. She's probably worried about me….and who wouldn't be about such a hunk like me. Heh, heh." Ash boasted, lifting up the receiver and jabbing at the buttons.

"Ehhh, probably worried you might come back." Misty muttered, entering the emergency ward as Vera's high-pitched voice rang out from the phone.

~

Misty found James alone near a window, staring at a litter of Growlithe puppies, yelping and feeding off their mother in a padded, cozy looking room. "Growly…." James said quietly, a tear rolling down his cheek.

"You miss him, don't you?" Misty said, coming up beside him. James nodded, as if he'd known she was there the whole time. 

"He was my first Pokemon….and my favorite. I hated leaving him behind, twice now. Even with Piouso, Jessibelle will still come back and use my stupid parents to find me. By blood, I'm their son, and if they knew how close I lived to them, they'd send Officer Jenny to take me back to them and marry that witch. I'd rather die than go back, but yes, I miss Growly. My only real friend, he never abused me or yelled at me, called me stupid or insulted me. He was a true friend….and I can't get him back because….I'm still afraid. I don't want to be caught again." He said, another tear falling down his cheek, and then more came.

"James, where did Piouso come from? What is he to Pokemon?" Misty asked, touching his wounded arm gently. 

"I left out the part about him….when I told you how Jessie and me were separated. I walked around for a short while, and fell through the floor. I fell for a long time before I hit an underground river, then….I blacked out," he sighed, putting his good hand on the glass," I woke up on some kind of altar, tied down with a handful of Pokemon around me, and one that was flying, a golden bird, one of the unnamed ones. Piouso wouldn't even tell me what it was, as if I had no right, not enough honor to hear it. There were other Pokemon with the bird, Charmanders, a Krabby, and a couple of Clefairies. They all chanted about me for a while, and I thought they were going to eat me. The things were shriveled and sickly looking, like they'd been starved for a long time."

"How sad….what happened next?" Misty asked.

"My body hurt, I guess that was Piouso taking me over, but he was angry. I felt it, I heard it, and when he was finally all inside my body, he destroyed all but the glowing bird Pokemon. He had wanted to have a Pokemon for a host body….but….as he told me later, Jessie caught the Charmander vassal Piouso was meant to possess. Getting a human boy wasn't his cup of tea, so he destroyed the Pokemon, then the temple, but I fought him. I got him to the beaches of Sunny Town, and finally got control back, trapping him in the necklace he'd been imprisoned in for thousands of years. The rest, you know." He finished, lowering his head.

"Oh my, that's….horrible to do. To you and those poor Pokemon. How can he be so cruel….and call you his vassal. That does mean slave, you know." Misty blurted, her tone outraged.

"Don't you think I know that. Piouso is used to doing what he wants, not what everyone else does? He's the God of the Pokemon, all Pokemon." James muttered.

"A god? How come nobody knows about him." Misty gasped.

James looked at her, frowning. "When the Pokemon first appeared, like Mew and the other rare Pokemon, Piouso was the one who gave them life here, he protected and punished them, but he punished abusive humans more, that's where he went wrong. He favored his own children over our ancestors. He underestimated them….and as a result, they imprisoned him inside this necklace of pure blue crystal," he explained, touching the necklace," He had managed to save the last Mew from being hunted down by primitive humans when a shaman and his followers cast the spell upon the crystal and threw it at Piouso's back, absorbing him inside for all times, but….Mew escaped with the necklace days later, hiding it deep within that island and protected it."

"So Mew was considered a favorite of Piouso's, like they were best friends." Misty put in, getting another nod. 

"You could say that, yes, they were very close. Mew was Piouso's first child, the first Pokemon to be created. Piouso is so….deadly now, more than he ever was, when he infected me. He learned in his resurrection that so many of his children are gone….Pokemon from ancient times that are no longer around and some that are very few in number. He can repopulate them, recreate the fallen ones, but it took him a long time to get a decent population of Pokemon anywhere in an uncivilized world….with pollution, cities, the Pokemon League, it may take centuries to rebuild his work. I don't know whether to hate him for being so cruel or pity him for the pain he feels with so many losses," he muttered, the tears coming again," Sometimes, I feel both, or nothing at all. I'm forced to use him when I'm in a place where his children are being abused, he hurts me when I try to shut him out. I am his vassal, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. If he tries to hurt innocent people….gets out of control, like he was….about to….with you, I fight as hard as I can to make him go back."

"So, you're slaves to each other, except you have more humanity. Everything is expendable to Piouso….isn't it?" Misty sighed, reaching her hand up to his face and wiping the tears away.

"Correct, Piouso only cares if he's right and his children live on worshiping him, their deity. Ironic he's trapped in the body of an ex-Pokemon thief, and a bad one at that. I do have to admit, I stole two Pokemon after Piouso merged with me, the Scyther and Electrobuzz of the Yas and Kas gyms in Dark City. Actually, I was told to steal them, by the Board of Pokemon Health. The Dark City gym's still hadn't learned their lessons, so taking their Pokemon away was all we could do. I was given Scyther for my efforts and Electrobuzz was put in the Safari Zone, for its own protection. That's it, Misty, all my secrets are out in the open. Guess I'm not as noble as you thought I was." He muttered, looking away from her.

"James, I don't think that. You're still you, and nobody's perfect. It took a lot of guts to tell me all that, even stuff I didn't ask about. So what if not everything is sugar-coated with happy stuff and fairy tails, life is life, James. The good thing is that you're fighting the bad inside and outside of yourself, no matter what happened to you, you keep fighting it, even when things seem like they're at their worst. It doesn't make you a bad person." She said, hugging him from behind.

"Misty….why? Why the heck do you like me? You couldn't stand me when we were kids….and in one night, your opinion changes. What's so special about a loser like me?" James muttered, remaining perfectly still.

"Not in one night….James Hartman, it took a few days of thinking to wonder why I wasn't freaking out over kissing you…..and dancing with you. Then I saw the changes you'd made in yourself….what you had inside when you really pushed yourself, you looked happy….like you had everything going for you. It….was….a peaceful look, something I'd never seen on your face….I felt for you. Not pity….but….well," she said, feeling him stir against her.

"What?" he asked in a curious tone. "I felt love for you, the way you cared for Pokemon and others….hearing how you'd been hurt. It reminded me….a little of when my father died, all the pain I had in my heart, like the world was against me, but when I heard how you suffered, I felt close to you, not so alone. Ash never had to worry about such painful losses like death and betrayal. No one ever understood my pain….until I met you again." She explained, crying a little.

"I know about that….you're the only one I've told about my past, I was too ashamed to tell my new parents….any of my so-called friends in medicine….in school. I didn't think your mother and sisters were as heartless as to not think about how you were hurting. You could at least tell people why you were upset. I had to lie to my parents when they'd catch me crying in my room. I envy you still, Misty, you had a pain that could be told, healed with time, but not me. Who couldn't tell anyone they used to be a Pokemon thief and has a tyrannical Pokemon god in his soul," he said, moving a little again, his hands on hers," So….you….uh, love me? You're not just saying that?"

Misty giggled lightly, nuzzling her head against his back. "Yeah, I do, James, more than I thought I could. I'm not going to dwell on the past," she replied, feeling him turn in her arms, hugging her back," Just promise me one thing."

"Anything….as long as its not illegal." He chuckled, patting her back.

"Promise me that you won't ditch me and Ash….when you go to fight Team Rocket. Promise me, please." She said, looking up at him warmly.

He smiled, lowering his head again. "I promise, even if they try and separate us, I won't ditch you guys. I swear on my license….and my heart." He told her.

~

"What took you guys so long to come to the sleeping room anyway? Were there a lot of sick Pokemon after all?" Ash asked as Misty and James came back into the lobby the next morning.

He looked like he'd been there for a while, leaning against the desk, Joy typing on the computer. His hair was messy and he had a little spot of food near his lip. Pikachu was sitting peacefully on the desk, looking as perky as ever, unlike the rest of them. She and James looked just as tired and messed up as he did, thanks to a full night of discomfort of yesterday's events. 

James had changed clothes, unlike them, wearing a red jacket with white sleeves, a white T-shirt under it, but the same black jeans. He looked like he was part of a high school sports team, but he had explained to her that he'd gotten it from his parents after graduation, from the Pokemon League, a jacket instead of a hat like Ash.

"Not really. Misty wanted to hold one of the new Growlithe puppies and see what water Pokemon were here. Joy and I also had to put Starmie and Seadra in the ward for treatment, they took quite licking from Team Rocket." James said.

"Women are always drawn in by cute things. The biggest weakness of the gender, but heck, Pokemon are all cool, no madter what anyone says they are, cute or otherwise." Ash smirked, laughing.

"Jerk! That is way rude, picking on me just cause I think some Pokemon are cute." Misty snarled. "What do I care what you think, Misty? You're just jealous because I am a Pokemon Master and you're still swimming with the few badges you were able to barely win." Ash countered, smiling.

"Does it hurt much, Ash?" James said suddenly.

Ash gave him a puzzled stare. "Does what hurt?"

"That pea sized brain of yours trying to get out a decent thought and only pouring out garbage 24 hours a day." James said, grinning snidely.

"My pea sized….why you!" Ash growled, running at James. Misty moved away as the two men started fighting, punching and kicking at each other on the tile floor. "Oh, you guys, quit it, this is a hospital, not a back alley! Cut it out!" Misty scolded, but they kept fighting.

"He started it!" Ash hissed out, taking a low blow from James and getting knocked flat on his back. "No, you did with your ignorance about the power of women. Not only are you so full of yourself, you disrespect everyone around you! You make me sick, _Ashley_!" James griped, resulting in Ash leaping back at him. 

"A fine distraction so Ash wouldn't ask Joy how the visits were with the Pokemon. The he'd be even more obnoxious about what we were doing all alone together, like it's any of his business." Misty muttered, crossing her arms in frustration. She felt a light tap on her shoulder, then a voice saying," Excuse me, miss, could you direct me to Dr. James Hartman. I have a package to deliver to him immediately."

Misty turned around to see a portly man standing behind her, holding a big, puffy yellow envelope between his chubby fingers, wearing a dark blue jumpsuit and tag on his chest that said," **Howard**."

"I'll take that for him, he's busy defending himself." Misty replied, and the man pulled out a clipboard with sheets of paper and a pen dangling by a shoestring on it. "Just sign here then, miss." He said. She signed her name and he gave her the package, then as suddenly as he had appeared, he was gone, the door shutting behind him.

"Hey, James! mail for you." Misty shouted, making a face as she saw James and Ash were still fighting, James still getting the best of the battle. "Oh no, not until I kick his tail in for insulting me!" Ash hollered, taking another swing at his opponent.

"I don't have time for this. Time to cheat." James said, ducking away from the blow as he touched his necklace. He looked at Pikachu, the crystal on his necklace glowing gently, and Pikachu jumped off the desk to run up beside Ash.

"Ka-chu!!!!!!!!!!!" it shouted, letting out its thunder shock attack on its trainer. Ash glowed a bright yellow with the powerful electricity for a few second, then the attack ended and Ash fell over, charred and surprised. "Pikachu….what are you doing????" Ash croaked out, the tiny electric mouse sitting on his chest. "Pikapi…." It mumbled, sounding almost sad.

"Now that the peanut gallery has been dealt with, let's take a look at the mail," James sighed, taking the package from Misty carefully," Hmm, not from Erika, no return address. I'll have to pick that up today then."

"Dare I ask who the perfume is for?" Misty teased, smiling. James returned it and winked. "All in due time….trust me, now let's open this sucker."

James tore open the package and reached inside, something plastic sounding inside. He pulled out a videocassette, unlabeled and alone. James turned the package over and shook it, but nothing else came out.

"Joy, I'll go view this in the security room, ok? Hold the fort till I get back," James said quietly, his face slowly draining of color," Misty….Ash, would you mind coming with me?"

Misty nodded and so did Ash as he was getting up. "All right, lead the way, you big fat cheater." Ash grumbled, following him into the emergency ward.

~

There was no one in the security office, it was too early for anyone to come into work, and James looked very relieved about that factor. He popped out one tape from the dozens of monitors, one that had its sights sets on the payphones. James put his tape inside the monitor, punching play under the screen.

It was dark at first, then the three saw a familiar face on the screen, or half of it. "Hello, James, its been a long time." The man said, petting his grinning Persian.

"Giovanni!" James gasped, his hands curling into fists. "Yes, its me, your boss in the flesh. You're watching this now because you decided to make it hard on yourself instead of coming back to work for Team Rocket. So, last night, I took matters into my own hands with my other members and picked up a few special things that just might change your idiotic mind about defecting from the team any further." Giovanni smiled, then snapped his fingers.

The camera on him moved below him, to the doors where he kept his Pokemon in before battle. The doors opened and a few Rocket members came out, along with Butch, Cassidy, and Jessie, leading three people with sacks over their heads. One of them looked like child.

Misty looked over at James, and gasped. His eyes were wide with fright, his teeth grit tightly together, and his hands digging hard into the control panel of the security system. "No, please, not them. Anything but them, please God, don't let it be….." he was begging, tears streaming down his face.

The bags were pulled off, revealing another Nurse Joy, a dark-haired man and a little girl with brown hair, her face red and crying loudly, her little hands tied behind her back just like the adults.

"NO! NO! NO! Not them! How could they possibly know….They're not involved in this! You coward! It's me you want, not my family! Not them! Leave them out of this!" James screamed, pounding at the screen as if the people inside could hear him.

"You have three days before they take your place with a firing squad, the child goes first, mind you. Unless you come here and surrender yourself, well, I'll send flowers for their funerals. Don't be late….or they pay the price," Giovanni uttered in the background, then the camera went back to him," We're still in the same place, James, the last time you saw me. so, don't keep us waiting."

The screen went blank after that, but James wasn't calming down, tears pouring down his face like a flood, sobbing on the control panel painfully, and beating his fists against the dark screen.

"That cold hearted….he doesn't deserve to be a gym leader. He's a monster!" Ash growled, slamming his fist on the panel. "Yeah, a number one creep. How dare he use innocent people to get to James. That's sick! I say we take him out right now!" Misty hissed, but James said something that made their jaws drop.

"We can't do it." he muffled out.

"What do you mean, we can't do it! Your family is going to die if we don't get to Viridian City now, your family is going to die! Don't you care about that?" Ash challenged.

James stood upright in a flash, his face full of rage. "I do care, but barging in won't save them. We have to plan this out, not rush in like big-headed idiots. We'll get killed for sure and so will my family. I don't want that. But we have to act fast, as in leaving right now."

"But what about Nurse Joy? I mean this Joy, not the one Giovanni has." Ash put in.

"Leave her to me," James said, reaching nervously into his pockets and yanked out his wallet," Take my credit cards and rent us a car, anything, just make sure its fast."

"You got it." Ash yelped, running out of the room.

"Misty, make sure he does that, and buy some wigs, two for women and brown one for a man, short hair. A blonde with curls that's short and a straight red one that's long for the girls. Make it fast." James added, pushing her out rapidly. "What are the wigs for?" she asked as he came out the door, tape in hand

"All part of the plan. Just hurry, I have another Joy to lie to….for the last time." James said, smashing the tape against the wall.

**__**


	8. Ch. 8-Final Battle: Viridian City

Chapter 8 **__**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of "Pokemon," but I own Piouso and Joy's boyfriend/husband, and daughter. Also, I own the silly Calamity Starr company, as well as Billy, Jane, and Belle. So many western legend names….so little time.

Chapter 8

__

Final Battle: 

Viridian City

"Just why did you have Misty by those wigs anyway? Old habit?" Ash snickered, but James was ignoring him as he shut the trunk. "All for the plan, that's why were at this breeding center." James said, shrugging. Something suddenly snatched Ash's hat off and crammed it atop James' own head. 

His Haunter had done it, laughing out its name wildly and floated around its master. James had insisted they pick the ghost Pokemon up, for the benefit of the battle he would get out of Giovanni. Ash hadn't minded the suggestion at first, not until Haunter had finally joined the group and started bothering him with making faces and swiping things from his person. Now wasn't the time for playful antics, and Ash was more than willing to voice that.

"Hey, what's the big idea!? That's my hat!" Ash grumbled, but James didn't look threatened, or sorry. Haunter went on laughing

"My head sticks out too much, a lot more than either of yours," James told him, then looked at the breeding center," The Calamity Starr Breeding Center is the one my old boss has always used because he found people there with pull in the company. They're real easy to bribe."

"Who are they? Are they part of Team Rocket too?" Misty asked. 

"Sort of, they get as much in bribes as I got in one pay check, so he's got them well fastened under his thumb. The three that are due out there at the end of each week are Billy, Jane, and Belle. That's why we need the wigs," James explained," The eye color doesn't matter cause these guys are so stupid, they come in looking like spies in lab coats, wearing their cheap sunglasses and all. They really are a joke, but they do their job right, I never saw him yell at them for anything except their attire." 

"Well, that's where you lose me. Misty bought two girls' wigs and one guy's….and we….only have one girl here. Ewww, you're going to wear a dress again."

"No….I'm not. I gave up those detestable and embarrassing disguises a long time ago, _Ashley_." James said, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Ash stared at him, then at Misty, and back at James, his words slowly dawning on him. His face soured. "No way! One dress was enough, but two?! I will not go to fight team Rocket in a dress. I'll never live it down." Ash hollered, turning his back to them.

"Hey, no problem, I'll make it a little more fair. We'll do a coin toss. Tails I win and heads you win, but you lose with tails and wear the damn dress. Fair enough?" James chuckled, pulling a coin out of his shirt pocket.

"Oh no you don't. Reformed or not, a con is a con. I choose what makes me win. Tails I win and you lose, and heads I lose and you win. No way am I going to let your decisions spell my fate. Not when my dignity is at stake. And let the coin hit the ground, I want to see it when it lands." Ash put in, turning about with a stern look.

James just shrugged, saying," Suit yourself. Up it goes." He flipped the coin up into the air and the three watched it twirl for a moment in mid-air, then come spinning down to land smack on the sidewalk. They all watched, Ash not daring to breath as it spun around on the concrete, slowing down gradually before it came to a clinking halt.

"Ahhh! Heads! No! Not heads! Do it again, I want to flip it. You cheated." Ash said, trying to grab up the coin, but James beat him to it, holding it tightly in his hand. 

"Sorry, _Ashley_, but a coin toss is as fair as it gets. I wouldn't argue with fate if I were you. And don't you worry, you'll be dressed up as Belle, she delights in wearing long skirts, very conservative lady, for a bubble head. Come on, time's a wasting, my family needs a rescue right quick." James snickered, entering the breeding center with Misty trailing.

Ash was still grumbling on the street as they did, not seeing James lift up the coin he had used, but Misty did. He twirled it back and forth, smiling back at her, as she saw both sides were heads. "You did cheat. Oh , you little sneak." She chuckled, trying not to laugh out loud. 

"I swore I'd never wear another dress again, and I meant it. This may not be as a good a payback as beating him senseless for trying to suffocate me, but it'll do for now. But enough about my trickery, on with the plan, dear lady." He smiled, cramming the coin back in his pocket as Ash finally began to follow them in.

~

"Welcome to the Calamity Starr Breeding Center, where we take care of the perils of Pokemon and they come out shining. My name is Brenda, how may I help you?" the bubbly, green-haired receptionist chirped out, smiling.

"Brenda, well, the thing is we have a Pokemon emergency. Our Pokemon have just not gotten the treatment they deserve and we heard that this place is the best in the world for all Pokemon and their needs. We're willing to pay up front for your most worthy and caring breeders." James said sweetly, charming the girl and waving a thick wad of cash under her nose. She followed the money more than his face, almost salivating at the sight of it.

"Why, certainly, sir. But….I'm sorry, our best are due to visit the Viridian City Gym in an hour. They could only take one of your Pokemon in, your friends will have to wait, as will your other Pokemon." She said, her voice a little flustered.

James shrugged, moving away from her slightly. "Fine by me, nothing is too good for my fabulous Pokemon. They'll be even better once you star employees see to their needs. I'll take my prize Pokemon to these three, just take me to them." James sighed, trying to sound disappointed. Brenda got up from her desk, her fancy white shirt and light brown skin hugging her form gently, the black high heels she wore clicking down the hall as she led James away.

Ten minutes later, James came back alone, with bags, clothes and lab coats. "The idiots were sleeping, so it was easy to tie them up." James said, smiling. "You get a kick out of doing this, don't you?" Ash grumbled, getting a lavender dress tossed at him and white shoes. 

"Humiliating Team Rocket for all they've done is just half the battle, Ash. I intend to make them suffer, just like I did. They'll lose everything, and I'll be laughing at them. Just like you always laughed at us. It feels good not to be on the receiving end for once." He smirked, tossing Misty a yellow dress and ducking behind the desk to put on his disguise. 

"I'll go dress in one of the rooms." Misty sighed, walking down the hall a little, opening three different doors before going into one. Within a few minutes, the three had their disguises on, Ash the first one to close up his lab coat, his face red with embarrassment.

"Doesn't he look adorable?" James teased, trying not to laugh. "Ah, shut up. This is something to save your family, not bother me. Can we just go?" Ash mumbled, trying to cover his face.

"You're right, let's get the wigs, then we have a bit of walking to do," James smiled, and ran out the door," And the final part of my plan."

Misty and Ash just shrugged and ran out after him, Ash tripping on the fancy shoes Belle had been wearing. "How can women wear this stuff, my feet are killing me." Ash groaned.

"Think about that pain the next time you say Vera didn't dress up enough." Misty said, sprinting ahead to the back of the car. James had already fastened the brown wig on his head, the sunglasses covering his emerald eyes fully. He gave Misty the blonde wig and tossed the red one at Ash. "Ok, for safety's sake, Belle just giggles and curtsies at all the team members. When asked a question, just make your voice a little higher answer. She's shy, so she doesn't say much at once, ok, Ash….I mean, Belle?" James said, trying to be serious.

"I get it, I get it. I play the shy airhead. What a surprise you didn't want to wear the dress." Ash muttered, putting his sunglasses and wig on.

"Misty, you are Jane, Billy's, that is, my assistant and you just be yourself. Jane is a real spirited lady, so you're almost a perfect match in personality. Bad thing is that she hates water Pokemon, so never call them cute and scream if they push one near you. Just think about bugs if you have to, I know how you hate bugs." James went on, a little more serious now," There's should be some lipstick in her right coat pocket, put some on Ash and your own lips, so he looks a little more feminine. Don't want a cover blown over the slightest detail, now do we, Ash?"

Ash just grumbled, making gagging sounds as Haunter held him still for Misty to put the lipstick on, then on her lips.

"Good, Haunter. Now, I want you to go invisible until these two lovelies keep the team members busy, then materialize near where I point. You will plant blaster balls throughout the vents, I mean everywhere. Then, when I call for you, you come to the battle arena. That means our cover's been blown and we're forced to battle. Got that?" James told Haunter, who smiled.

"Haunt….Haunt." it said, then vanished. "Just follow us Haunter, you'll know when its time." James said aloud, a faint reply coming from the ghost Pokemon.

"Blaster balls? We don't have any blaster balls in the car. And how are we supposed to sneak them in?" Ash whined, but James just waved his hand at him.

"That's a piece of cake, I already dumped out all their bags for the breeding crud, we can stuff these full of them. There's always a place to buy blaster balls, so that's no problem either. I'll just give a bag full of them to Haunter when he goes in the first vent and he'll be sort'a following us to each vent. At each vent, one of us has to make an excuse for stopping….trip, or heck, knock over the member leading us to the battle arena. I'll hand the next bag to haunter and get the empty one back from him. Its foolproof." James explained.

"Hey, we only have a day or so left to get there, we don't have time for perfect plans. We have to go with what we've got….or his family is going to die. Maybe ours will follow, just to hurt us for helping him. We have to go now, Ash….Belle, darn, being someone else is hard." Misty breathed.

"You don't know the half of it." James muttered, passing by them both. They followed, all walking down the street, hoping that their efforts would not be in vain.

~

"Well, if it's the Magnificent Trio. Hey, Jane, I have a cute little Tentacool with you name on it. What do say?" a large, mustached Rocket member greeted. He was leaning against the wall as the three walked in, some food stuck in his facial hair, his breath smelling like a sewer. James was standing a ways from them, standing near a ventilation grate. 

The man breathed on Misty and Ash, and it was all she could do not to keel over. His breath was enough to make Misty wretch, but she held it in, using his disgusting appearance in retaliation, and keep the poor excuse for a human being from seeing what James was really doing.. "Ewww! That's so gross, so slimy, and disgusting. Keep it away! I hate water Pokemon, they're all so totally gross!" she screamed, nearly knocking the man over.

"Whoa, ok, fine. Jeez, you just can't take a damn joke, Jane. Belle, honey, you have to work on her attitude. If she was as quiet as you, she just might be cute….like you." he smiled, the food in his teeth making Ash grimace in his disguise.

In a high-pitched voice, he giggled," Oh hee, hee, I dunno, oh, dear. My stars….I'm not that, oh....hoo....hoo....hoo....hoo." 

"See, now why can't you be more ladylike, like Belle is?" the man said.

Misty folded her arms, sticking her nose straight up in the air. "How rude. I ought'a kick your ungrateful hide in for that. At least I can form a sentence." Misty hissed out, and Ash went on pretend giggling.

He was about to open his mouth again when James stepped up, only holding one bag now. "Excuse my little pretties, they really are in a sour mood today," he said, his voice lower and hoarse sounding now," Its just that time of the month for Jane….and Belle, well, she just misses all of the boss' Pokemon. You know women."

"You got that right, Billy boy. Now, how about's we get to the arena. The boss is growing impatient. Why do you three always got's to be so late?" The man said, moving off down the hallway.

The trio followed, and James went on talking. "Some geek came in today demanding our services, he was carrying a fake wad of money and expected us to believe it was real. We had the moron carted off to jail for trying to insult our intelligence. Not to give excuses, but well, that's what happened."

"Billy, it don't really matter to me, I'm not the one you gotta answer to. The boss is. So quit your yacking and move it. Hey! Why'd you stop?" the man asked, reaching for his gun.

"I stepped on a tack. Belle, would you hold my back? It would really haunt me if I kept walking. I have to yank this out, then we can continue on." James said gruffly, pretending he was in pain. 

Ash grabbed the bag, following James eyes to another ventilation grate, and nodded. "Sure! Tee hee. Grrrrr…." He said in a high voice, moving to the vent as Misty got in the guard's face. "How dare you question my superior's actions. You're right, we don't have to answer to you, we answer to the boss. And how are we supposed to do our jobs when Billy is hopping up and down on one foot trying to care for the Pokemon. Your boss would have your hide if one of us couldn't come or was injured, and it would be all your fault!" Misty shouted, kicking the man in the shin.

"Ouch! Jeez, Jane, you're really full of spitfire today. I give up, all right?! Go ahead and fix your foot, Billy, just get this Amazon off me." the man yelped.

James got up, and pretended to throw something away. Ash handed him the bag, squirming in his dress. He looked inside the bag and smiled. "Good girl, not single bottle broken this time. You're getting better." He commented, patting Ash on the head as if he were a dog.

Ash mumbled something under his breath, gritting his teeth angrily. "Why thank you, sir. Tee, hee, and you don't keep those adult magazines in there anymore. I'm so proud of you. Hee, hee."

"Heh, heh, isn't she cute?" James laughed, squeezing Ash's throat with his arm, choking him," Don't push it or I'll break every bone in your face." 

"Yeah, she's adorable, her face just gets prettier and prettier," the man said, gesturing with his head suddenly," Come on now, the boss is still waiting."

"Certainly," James said, releasing Ash and stepping on his foot," Come on, girls, we don't want to make him any madder than he already is."

~

The walk to the battle arena seemed to take forever, James and Ash taking turns the entire way to give Haunter bags of blaster balls every five ventilation grates that they passed by. James was surprised, as he could tell his companions were, at how easy things were, and it scared it.

'You're planning something, but why would you let me get so close to my goal when you know what I have to fight with? Or are you just too stupid to realize what you're dealing with? Giovanni, it doesn't matter what you do, you're going to lose….even if it kills me.' he thought, the doors of the battle arena finally coming into his view.

"Well, you know the drill. Go on in, explain yourselves and then do your thing. I'll wait out here to let you out." the man said, opening one of the doors. "Yeah, this is going to hurt, but we don't get paid by the hour. Might as well take a beating and get this job done with." James sighed, a defeated look crossing his face, walking into the arena slowly, Ash and Misty following in tow.

"You don't know how right you are." The man said, his tone less than comforting. 

"What?" James yelped in his real voice as the door slammed behind them, the lock clicking.

"Uh-oh….we've been played." James grumbled, and the three tore off their costumes as the lights of the arena came shining down upon them. He looked up, and saw him, a from he hadn't seen in person for ten long years, the shadowy form of Giovanni. 

"I thought you'd never get here. My special guests never lost hope, but when your life is at stake, what can you expect? Welcome home, James, did you hear that Hartman's. James is home at last." Giovanni said, his voice haughty and venomous.

"No…." James mumbled, his eyes moving away from Giovanni, from left to right until his eyes met with those of his family, his mother and sister in tears.

"What does he mean, Jimmy? Why did he take us away from the house?" she wept, but James couldn't look at them anymore. The pain in his little sister's eyes was too much for him to stand.

"He didn't tell you the truth did he? So much for forgiveness," Giovanni laughing, his Persian rubbing up against him," You don't mind if I tell them what you were, what's hiding beneath the haircut, the license, the happy family. I knew you wouldn't."

"Stop it." James grumbled, but Giovanni just laughed, his Persian snickering. "James used to work for me, stealing Pokemon, as bad as he was at it. He destroyed public property, he attacked innocent people with his Weezing. Vain, wearing disguises, even dresses, all to steal Pokemon. He's a common criminal, a mere child thief hiding behind that man you see. A fraud. What do you think of your pride and joy now, Mrs. Hartman?"

"I….I….,"Nurse Joy mumbled," James, please look at me. Tell me, from your own mouth. Is it true? Just tell me the truth." 

James looked up slightly, tears streaming down his face. "Its true. I couldn't tell you….or you'd hate me. I'm not perfect….I got a second chance with your family….to have one of my own. A mother, a father, then a sister….I didn't want to ruin things by bringing my past into it. I didn't want anyone to get hurt, but….I was wrong….dead wrong. No matter how careful I tried to be, I screwed things up. You can hate me all you want, it won't change anything. I'll still be me."

"Oh James….I….I'm so sorry….Oh Max." she wept, leaning against her husband. 

"I don't care about myself anymore, Giovanni, I only want them to be safe. I'm challenging you, right here and now, a battle to decide my fate. If I lose, go ahead and shoot me, but let them go….and Meowth." James challenged, raising his fists towards Giovanni.

"Meowth….heh, friendship. How touching. Fine, since you've never won as many battles as I have, I can just see that bullet passing through your empty skull. Fine, I accept, as if I care why you want Meowth or people who aren't even blood relatives. Get ready, little man, you're about to experience the last painful minutes of your life." Giovanni laughed, snapping his fingers.

The doors below his throne pulled away from each other with a grating sound, like stone on stone, revealing James first challenge.

"Trio, trio, trio." the Dugtrio uttered, the mole Pokemon moving through the dirt quickly.

"Nice try. Beedril! Go!" James shouted, tossing a Pokeball before its opponent.

"Twin Needle attack, now!" James added.

Beedril obeyed and swooped down at the Dugtrio, but Giovanni yelled," Dugtrio, dig!"

The Dugtrio disappeared under the ground and Beedril smacked into the ground, its stingers stuck fast in the ground. It buzzed like crazy, trying to pull itself free, managing to get one out. 

Then it shrieked, falling over, a small dark in its hide. "A tranquilizer dart!? That's cheating." James hollered, but Giovanni was ignoring him.

"Dugtrio, fissure strike!" he called, and the ground shook, the entire building sounding like it would crumble at any second. The ground went electric as it split open beneath the Beedril, the explosion of the cracking ground knocking it out. 

"That was a dirty trick! Who shot my Beedril?" James yelled, looking at his beaten Pokemon," Ugh, Beedril, return!"

As it came back, his sister's voice rang out. "That ugly Jessie lady did it. She's got a gun, she hurt the buzzer."

"Shut up, you little brat, or my Arbok will have you for dinner. Arbok, go! Teach her a lesson." Jessie hissed, tossing the Pokeball as she holstered the gun.

"Arbok!" it uttered, then looked over at James. He was touching his crystal again, and Arbok's eyes went wide. "ARBOK! ARBOK!" it screeched, and wrapped about Jessie, binding her arms at her sides.

"You overgrown water moccasin! Let go of me!" Jessie screamed, struggling wildly as the other members looked on.

"Now that this is really fair, choose you next Pokemon, Giovanni. Or would you like to forfeit right now and make this easy on yourself?" James said, trying to look brave.

"Big talk from such a small brain. Fine, Persian, go!" Giovanni sighed, his Persian leaping down from his lap and down to the arena, hissing.

"I'd have a bigger problem fighting Meowth than this wimp. Primeape, go!" James shouted, tossing another Pokeball.

"Primeape!? He's got a Primeape!?" Ash squeaked out," I really have to talk to his professor big time."

"Shut up, Ash. This is serious business. Let's try and get his family away from Team Rocket. We have to distract them while he distracts that tyrant."

"Yeah, yeah, lead the way, oh valiant master." Ash grumbled, following Misty around the arena.

"Persian, fury swipe!" Giovanni ordered. The Persian leapt up at the Primeape, its sharp claws aimed at the angry Pokemon. "Primeape! Tuck and roll, counter with fury attack!" James yelled, the Primeape rolling under the Persian in a split second.

"PRIMEAPE" the creature yelled, smacking its fists together, then charged at the cat Pokemon, bashing at it repeatedly. Shot after shot, into the Persian's face, its stomach, then it back, and it kept going till the Persian broke free.

"Show no mercy, Primeape. Seismic toss!" James called out, the Primeape nodding to him. 

"Primeape!" it growled, grabbing the Persian by its tail and spun it around at incredible speed. The Persian yowled loudly as it spun faster and faster, until James cried out," Toss it now!"

Primeape threw the Persian into the air, smack into Giovanni's face. The man fell over, it Persian mumbling with a dazed expression on it face. 

"He beat it? Hey, he beat it! All right James, way to show that stupid Persian who's boss! Hah, hah, ha, ha! Persian is a loser!" Meowth laughing, hopping up and down like crazy, much to Team Rocket's disgust.

"Shut up, if it lost, that means we're losing. Keep it down or you're going to join his family with a few more holes in your head." Cassidy hissed out, rapping Meowth on the head with the butt of her gun.

"Meowth! That hurt!" Meowth yelped, rubbing the lump on his head.

"Argh, you were just lucky, you still have three more Pokemon to face, traitor!" Giovanni growled out, snapping his fingers. The doors beneath him opened up again, this time to reveal the hulking, light blue Nidoqueen moving slowly into the arena. 

"Ok, Primeape, return. Haunter! Go!" James called, his Primeape going back into his Pokeball, then nothing. James' face fell, looking around frantically. "Haunter! I said go! Its time to battle, not play!" James yelled, but Haunter was still nowhere in sight.

"You'd better choose a Pokemon you have, not one you need." Giovanni laughed, and James growled at him. "Fine, since Haunter is fooling around again, Poliwhirl, go!" James exclaimed, tossing his next Pokeball.

"Poliwhirl!" the Pokemon uttered, just in time to see the Nidoqueen leaping at it. "Nidoqueen, poison sting!" Giovanni ordered, and Nidoqueen obeyed with a painful bite into Poliwhirl's body. "No! Poliwhirl! Use your hypnosis attack! It's the only way!" James shouted.

Poliwhirl got free of Nidoqueen, wobbling as it tried to start up its hypnosis powers, but Giovanni shook his head above them, laughing. "Nidoqueen, Tackle attack. Finish it off!"

Nidoqueen towered above Poliwhirl, then toppled its armored body onto it with a near deafening roar. Poliwhirl cried out under the crushing mass, its eyes dazed and full of pain.

"Not again. I almost had him. Poliwhirl, return," James said, taking up another Pokeball," Two chances left and I have to win them both. Haunter, where the heck are you?!"

"I choose my Nidoking next, and when I win, you lose everything, starting with the little girl. Then your precious mother and father, your girlfriend….and that stuck up little braggart you brought."

"Braggart!? Who are you calling a braggart!" Ash yelled, right behind Jessie. She looked back at him, grumbling out something, but Arbok squeezed at her again. Sadly, Butch and Cassidy got in his and Misty's way, guns raised.

"Nice going, big-mouth! So much for the element of surprise." Misty hissed, rapping him on the head.

"This is not good. Haunter! Materialize already! Where are you!?" James shouted, collapsing down on his knees.

"Haunt….haunt?" a voice said by his ear.

"Haunter?!" James yelped, looking next to himself to find Haunter floating there. He knew he'd let James down, and his sad expression really showed it.

"Forget the past, Haunter. We've got to beat this creep, for Mom and Dad, for Kara," James told him, patting his head, then whispered," Use your dream eater on it. No mercy."

"Are you quite done with your little bonding ritual? Giving up right now would be best." Giovanni said slyly, pointing his finger down at the large, lavender Nidoking," Horn attack!"

"Haunter! Go, dream eater that creep!" James shouted, Haunter zipping past the charging Nidoking in a flash, hovering high above it as its attack began. The small black, humming balls circled Nidoking, sticking with it even as it tried to use its horn to knock them away. 

Nidoking wobbled gradually, its eyes spiraling with sickness, then fell flat on its back, groaning out weakly as it hit. "Yeah, I beat you!" James laughed, Haunter circling around its opponent happily. "Hauuuunter!" it cackled.

"So what? You have one left, then it's a tie and we have to break it with a final battle. And, for my next warrior, I choose Rhydon." Giovanni growled, standing up now with his injured Persian in his arms. 

"Only two left….ah, hell, water and water, but which one should I use….Man, I don't have time to be picky, Gyarados, go get him!" James yelled, tossing his Pokeball into the arena," Hydro pump! Now! Finish it now!"

"Not in this lifetime! Horn drill, destroy him!" Giovanni raged, banging his hand against the balcony his throne rested upon, gritting his teeth together.

Rhydon and the roaring Gyarados charged at each other. Rhydon raised its horn up high, snarling as it ran towards the giant water serpent. "Gyarados, use your quick abilities, dodge it and counter with hydro pump! Give it everything you've got!" James shouted, his Pokemon slithering out of the way as Rhydon closed in. It arched its head back and its mouth shot forth a powerful gush of water at the rock armored beast.

Rhydon wailed out, falling down hard as the water soaked it, its voice getting louder when Gyarados kept pouring it on.

"Keep it coming, Gyarados. Finish it off with hyper beam!" James commanded, getting a roar in reply. A few moments later, the water ceased and a ball of light came out in its place, knocking the Rhydon off its feet and sailing over James' head then through the door.

"Yeah! I beat you….fair and square!" James laughed, looking dead at a frowning Giovanni. "That's insignificant. So what of you won, all you win is this." The man grumbled, throwing a small object at James. He caught it easily and looked it in his palm, then back at his former boss.

"An Earth badge….the last badge. That's not what I came here for, I want my family back….I want you to leave them out of this." James hollered back, Haunter appearing behind him. 

"Oh, did I say I'd do that? Well, well, well, now isn't that something. And as the ex-villain you are, you should have known better than to trust me. Butch! Cassidy! Shoot them, shoot them all! The baby brat gets it first!"

"Damn you, I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this, but you've forced it on yourself," James yelled, grabbing at his necklace," Now I'll have to teach you like I thought I taught those three losers!"

"Cork it, Jimmy, you're the loser, like always." Butch hissed out, aiming his gun at James and fired.

James fell backward with a cry, blood oozing down his right arm. "Ahhh, man, that smarts….but you're a bad aim. I'm not that unlucky," James gurgled out, getting up to his feet," Piouso, rise!"

Bright, blue lights swirled out of the crystal, wrapping around James just like in the forest, but this time all the Rocket members were watching him with their eyes open wide. 

Misty and Ash took this as a chance to get James' family away, but Ash was tripping since he hadn't seen this transformation like Misty had. "What's he doing?" he asked.

"Taking care of business….I hope." Misty uttered, untying little Kara quickly, then helped Ash free the parents, the light starting to fade.

"What the devil is this?" Giovanni grumbled, his Persian looking up in awe. 

"Not quite, human. I'm not surprised that disgustingly vain female and those other two wastes of flesh were too big headed to tell you they lost to me, and too dumb to look up the word vassal."

"Team Rocket has better things to do than finger through books to get ahead in life." Jessie sneered, still bound by her Arbok, which was calm now.

"James told me how stubborn you are, but he neglected to tell me how much, or how dumb. Its means slave, silly girl, James is my slave, my host body, all thanks to you." Piouso growled, his body changing colors like before.

"My fault? What did I do?" Jessie griped, finally pulling free of Arbok, but her dart gun was crushed. "You stole my chosen body the same day I melded with this boy's body, the Charmander was my original vassal. Though I would have been short for a while, having the advantage of human height is most….interesting, as well as the extra strength he gives me with his anger. That's why he hates you, not just your betrayal, but the fact he became my vassal because you stole the real one. Now….isn't that nice?" Piouso explain, putting his clawed hands together as if in prayer, then reached on out towards the ground.

Jessie flinched a little, but nothing happened. Not to her anyway. "MEOWTH! Put me down!" Meowth screamed," I didn't do anything to you! I didn't cheat this time! Let me go!"

"Not to worry, my feline child, no longer will you be abused by such losers. James may have been one of them, but he is not the same….he never will be again. He wanted you saved as well from this pit of stupidity you are kept in by such a cruel master. It is something I owe him….for all the tolerating he's done for carting me around in his soul. As well as something else….I owe him a great deal more, which I intend to repay." Piouso uttered, tucking Meowth under one arm, then reached back towards where he'd plucked Meowth from.

Jessie turned around, knowing full well that Piouso meant James' family. "Arbok! Poison sting! Wrap, every…..huh? They're disappearing!"

They were all yelling something towards Piouso, but there was no sound in their voices. The family, Misty, and Ash were all vanishing right before her eyes, the Rocket members too stunned to even fire at them.

"Haunter, ready the detonator. Team Rocket is about to go blasting off….for the last time." Piouso's voice piped up, all eyes on him once more, the Haunter behind him with a small gray detonator in its hands.

"Misty, James says he's sorry….for everything. He hopes you can forgive him for this sacrifice." Piouso said solemnly, and Jessie looked back at the fading people, Misty's face erupting with tears as she tried to reach out towards him. Within seconds, they were all gone, leaving Team rocket alone with Piouso and Haunter. "Now Haunter! For all the Pokemon they've hurt and stolen! Liberation for my children!" he added, Haunter pushing down before anyone could blink.

~

**_KA-BOOM!_**

It all seemed so distant as Misty clawed through the wet rubble, crying and choking against the reminiscent with the fumes of the remains of the hot flames. Misty could still hear it clear as a bell, and could feel the streets of Viridian City shaking madly, but her eyes couldn't fathom what she had seen when she turned about in the street. Piouso had teleported them a ways down the road from the gym, but the blast from building was well in everyone's sights, flames and smoke shooting out, blasting the front off the building across from it.

"JAMES!" she had screamed, running back towards the building," Ash, call the fire department, the police anybody! James might still be alive!" 

"You got it!" Ash had called back, running off for a nearby phone, James' family running after Misty.

The fire department had come after a few minutes of waiting, Officer Jenny leading the charge on her motorcycle. The flames had been stubborn, but after a long, hard fight, they were all but a painful memory.

Now Misty, with Kara a ways behind her, helping search and rescue find the survivors, of the explosion hadn't killed everyone as it happened. Misty recalled Piouso's last words to her, that James was sorry. She cried not because it was him saying good-bye, but because she didn't feel he needed to say it. She didn't blame him for what was happening, she blamed Team Rocket and all the torments they'd laid upon James just for being alive.

She heard little Kara sniffle, saying," Big brother, where are you? Please, you promised to come to my birthday party. You never break your promises. Please, big brother…..sniffle." the little girl cried out, her little blackened fingers shoves rock after rock out of the way.

She felt a horrible burning in her heart for the child. James had been around for this little girl's birth, her birthday's and almost every special day she had. To her, he was her real brother, blood and bonded, he was all she had to relate to as a role model. She didn't understand what she'd heard about him, not fully, but she was forgiving him with her efforts, trying to find him, to be there for him too.

Misty pushed another rock away, holding back a sob, when something soft brushed against her hand. She looked down and saw it was a hand, a man's hand, still attached to an arm, maybe more if she kept digging. "I think I've found him. Kara, Ash! Everybody, hurry, I've found him! It has to be him!" Misty cried, throwing rock after rock away from the hand, bloody and bruised. It flinched slightly as more of the arm appeared, then fell over, limp on the rubble.

As Misty dug further, more hands around her helping pave the way down, she saw a jacket sleeve, ripped and bloodied, char marks all around, but she could see James was all in one piece. He was still holding Meowth under his arm, the cat Pokemon virtually unharmed, but out cold. As they were pulled free, Joy took Meowth out of his arms, then touch her son's bloodied cheek. Misty hugged James, feeling at his chest and neck as tears streamed rapidly down her cheeks, but it was brief. "He's alive, I can feel him breathing, his heart's still beating." she cried, then two men approached her with a stretcher.

Jenny brought a stretcher over and had James placed on it. "To the hospital now! He could be worse than he looks, get him there on the double!" Jenny hollered at the ambulance men, who nodded and carried his limp body away, leaving Misty and the rest behind.

"Misty, we can see him at the hospital. Let the search and rescue teams take care of finding Team Rocket. Let's go now….come on." Ash said, pulling Misty down the mountain of rubble.


	9. Epilogue: Healing Hearts and Broken Bone...

Epilogue: **__**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of "Pokemon," but I own Piouso and Joy's boyfriend/husband, and daughter, etc.

Epilogue:

__

Healing Hearts and Broken Bones

*** 1 Week Later ***

Misty was pacing in the waiting room as Ash and James' family slept in the chairs, little Kara in Joy's lap and Meowth in Max's. Misty had barely slept since the Viridian Gym had exploded, putting James into a coma, breaking on of his arms and cutting both of his cheeks. The concussion he'd gotten still had him sleeping, tubes in body and his head bandaged. The doctors had said there wasn't any brain or skull damage, and his arm would heal. 

The coma was something they couldn't really give a diagnosis for, the concussion wasn't great enough to do it, but it was all they could give them, other than the explosion was a great shock to his mind and body.

Misty had been convinced he'd wake up after a few days, but now a week had gone by, with no change in his condition other than his arm healing a little. All she could do now was wait, and deal with nightmares of that day in the gym, watching James vanish in a ball of fire, reaching out for her and changing into Piouso clawing at her. The nightmares kept her from falling asleep and it showed, her hair had lost its shine and her eyes looked dark and tired, bags hanging under her eyes, stained with what was left of her tears.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hartman? I have….some news for you." said a voice.

Misty looked up, her breath catching in her throat as she saw the elderly doctor standing in the doorway. 

"What is it? Has something happened to my baby!?" Joy cried out, holding her little girl close to her as she stood up. 

"No, he's all right. He's finally opened his eyes….but….he attacked the nurse. He was saying how he hates being stuck with a hospital gown on….poor woman didn't know he was so angry about it and got a black eye out of it. He requested his clothes….and to see his family. If you're up to it, just be sure to bring him his bags." The doctor said, smiling a little.

"Certainly, Misty, would you mind picking some clothes out of his bags. Oh, I'm sorry, but I just have to see James." Joy yelped, running towards the doctor, Max and Ash in tow.

"I understand, as long as he's all right. His bags are in the rental car, I'll go get them. Just wait for me, ok?" Misty said happily, running past them all out the door.

~

Misty came back quickly to find his parents and little sister hugging James in his hospital gown, the sheets pulled up over his legs, his arm was still in a sling and bandages on his cheeks. "Oh honey, we don't hate you. Just don't ever scare us like that again, please! We can talk about this at home, just don't ever do that again. Don't take all the pressure alone, we're a family, even if its not by blood. We're still a family, next time, let us help you. Promise me that, James, please." Joy cried, weeping as she hugged the young man tightly, his face grimacing in pain.

"I will, I swear, but Mom, Dad! You're killing me! It still hurts!" James yelped, his family pulling away quickly. He rubbed at his sides with his good arm. "I know, I lied, but I did it to protect you, you all know that, right?" he said, still wincing.

"Yes, son, we know. We were hurt by the deception….but you never hurt us with it. We know you only trying to shield us from the shame you felt. Just know you're not alone, we will help you. And you even saved this Meowth, and it didn't even ask for it. You're a good man, James, and you've bettered yourself over that Giovanni. You're not a loser or a charlatan like he said, you've conquered your past well. All that matters is that you're alive, son, that's all we wanted." Max said, patting James lightly on the head.

"And that he'll have his dignity back too. Got you some clothes, James." Misty chirped, smiling widely.

Ash was smirking over in the corner. "I should a known he'd be wearing a dress sooner or later." 

"It's a hospital gown and I didn't put it on, _Ashley, _that stupid nurse did. Now can I have some privacy, then you can all smother me….Oh, once I feel a little better." He mumbled, staring down.

"Fine, isn't he so shy, huh Misty? All his girlfriends say that." Kara squeaked, snatching the clothes from her and tossing them onto James lap.

Misty blushed, watching his family step out, then Ash led her out. "Girlfriend?" he asked, but Misty said nothing, just staring at James, even as the door closed.

~

James laid in bed, dressed in the purple shirt and black jeans Misty brought up along with his brown boots. He still hurt all over, but it wasn't so bad with Piouso repairing his body from within. Still, he had to act hurt or people would do tests on him like a lab rat. He felt his privacy had been invaded enough and his pride hurt as well, he didn't need more questions rising up out of the blue to haunt him.

He was happy his family was forgiving him for all the deception. He had hoped they would understand the why's and why not's he'd chosen in life. It was enough for now, but James guessed that he'd have a lot of long talks with his parents about his affiliations with Team Rocket, all the things he'd hidden in the back of his mind.

James heard the door creak open at that, looking up slightly to see who it was. 

"Misty? Shouldn't you be sleeping or something? Its probably after midnight…." He said, leaning back into bed.

"I haven't been sleeping well lately, but your family is. So are Ash and Meowth, all in the waiting room. They were just so happy you're all right….and all. But, I just couldn't sleep, without talking to you first," she said, sitting down beside him," You were hoping that blast would take you out too, weren't you?"

"No….Piouso would have known, I was making it seem that way, though. So Team Rocket would have known better than to misjudge me, thinking I didn't have the guts to sacrifice my own life to save others. I was just trying to make an impression, didn't mean to pour on the drama, but knowing Team Rocket, it worked better on them than anything," he sighed," I was saying sorry too….because I was. That's why I tried so hard to keep you and Ash out of it, I didn't want you to see me like that, like Piouso. He's not the greatest thing to be possessed by….if anything. What I had to do was for my eyes only."

"As noble as ever, trying to protect us from everything all of a sudden. Such a little hero," she cooed, rubbing his forehead, then looked down in dismay," You tore your sleeve off."

"Had too, doctor's orders, as of my broken bone is healing nicely, he says I don't need a sling anymore. Still, he said I should let it breath….among other things, the guy just wants me to stay in bed for a while longer, but knowing Piouso, I'll be better by morning." James smirked, closing his eyes for a moment. Misty hugged him suddenly, lying across him gently with her legs beside his. "Welcome back, James." she whispered, and he reached his good arm around her trying to return the gesture.

"Thanks, good to be back, Misty….heh, if I still have a home to go back to….I know this isn't the best time, but would you like have dinner with my family? If it's ok, ow! Oh….boy, next time Piouso can stay for the collapse of the building."

"Let's hope there isn't a next time. And sure, I'd love to have dinner with your folks, if their anything unlike your real parents, I'm all for it." Misty chuckled.

"You and me both. Heh, I love you, Misty." He returned. "So do I James, so much. Don't you ever scare me like that again or I'm grind you into paste." She returned back, hugging him tighter.

"Ok, I swear I won't, now watch the ribs. You're killing me." he mock whined.

They were both laughing there, holding each other tightly, unawares that a shadow was standing in the doorway. As the two kissed, the shadow made a light stutter come out of his mouth, then started to walk away.

'Love each other? James and Misty? Kissing? So that's why they were alone together….Jeez.' he thought, still walking away from the room as quietly as he could,' Leave it to Misty to have weird taste in men.' He smiled at that thought, heading back for the waiting room.

~

"Well, look who's up today? Where do you think you're going?" Ash smirked as James was wheeled out by his mother and father, Meowth perched on his lap with his paws crossed. "Fish every day?" he was asking.

"For the millionth time, yes. Fish, whatever you want, no more canned gunk that's been sitting on the cobweb encrusted shelf for years. I swear, you think saved you just to kick around?" James exclaimed.

"It crossed my mind, but I guess it takes all kinds of circumstances to change, even a ditz like you," Meowth uttered, then saw Kara's little face next to him," Uh, but thanks. This makes my day."

"Now Eevee can have a playmate, right Jimmy?" Kara smiled, patting Meowth on the head. "Yeah, just be sure you have lots of balls of string. He digs that the most." James chuckled.

"Yay! Now we can have conversations! I can know what Eevee is saying and we can all have lots of fun. Right, Jimmy?" she chirped.

"Right, Kara, you have all the fun you want. You've earned it," he smiled, then grimaced," Oh, so have I….if I'm still welcome."

"You are, James, and as your mother, I think you should stay at the Sunny Town Pokemon Center a little longer. I insist." Joy said, kissing his bandaged cheek.

"Between that and being tortured to death, I think I'll take the nurses orders. Sorry Mom, I was going to tell you….someday, its just that it isn't something you tell people everyday. I was….well…." he stammered out.

"Afraid we'd reject you? You should have given us more credit than that. We would have been a little angry, yes, but you still would have still been our boy. You made good on yourself all these years without a bit of hesitation….and made us all proud when you didn't have to. It'll take some time to get used to the truth, but we're not going to just kick you out like bum on the street over something you fought alone to protect us from it."

"I will tell you everything once we get home….I promise. I just want to be in my own bed, my own room for a long time. And keep working, I'm not a lush. I still intend to do my job, no matter what my past is." James sighed, petting Meowth.

"Can I come too, I mean, if it's all right with your parents." Misty said shyly.

"Sure, honey, any friend of James' is a friend of ours. Especially, the girls." Joy giggled, pinching James' cheek.

"Mom….can we all just go home? The sooner the better. I'm beat….an with my final badge, I need to rest up to kick Gary and Ash's tails in….oh….when I can move without seeing stars." He groaned, and Joy started pushing his wheelchair again.

"Yeah, and it'll be a fight to remember James….if you make it that far. Still, it'll be worth the wait, I guess. Be seeing you then, James, and not a minute sooner." Ash offered with a grin.

"It'll be worth it to wipe that smug look off your face. Till then, don't get sloppy….like last time. Adios, Ash." James called as his mother and father lifted him into the car, Misty and Kara climbing in behind him and shut the door.

"So long, James. Misty! See you all later." Ash called, then watched the parents get in the car. A few seconds later, the car had started up and drove away from him.

"Yeah, just leave me with the rental car. Well, might as well made some use out of it and go to Pewter City. I hope Brock doesn't freak out when I tell him who Misty is dating. He'll have kittens. Heh, I love telling him." he chuckled, walking back down the street to the rental.

~

James was leaning against Misty, fast asleep, breathing quietly. Misty was trying to go to sleep, but his baby sister, sitting beside her, was talking to her. "You're the prettiest girl James has been with, and the quietest. Not like his other girlfriends. They all are so quiet, then scream at him and Haunter. Are you always quiet? What's your favorite Pokemon? Huh?" Kara giggled out, pulling at Misty's shirt. Misty blushed, her eyes fluttering again.

"Kara, leave the nice young lady alone. She needs her sleep too you know, just like your brother. Shush and go to sleep, honey." Joy called back at her.

Misty smiled at that, the little girl pouting, but was quiet now. She stared out the at the window and sighed. 'Feels goods to be free from adventure, but it was good while it lasted. Oh James. Now you're free, no more Team Rocket….no more surprises….I hope, for everyone's sake.' She thought, leaning her head against his, letting her eyes fall shut.

~ **Meanwhile, in an Abandoned Warehouse ~**

"Beaten….by a little insect like that. All my Pokemon….all of my members! Gone, all because of James! I'm ruined! It will take forever to get all of the Pokemon we stole back!" Giovanni raged, Cassidy grumbling as she bandaged up his head.

"Quit bellyaching. I told you all he wasn't worth all the trouble, but no one listens to me." Cassidy hissed out.

"Shut up, Cassie, you were the one who said we should kidnap his family, let Jessie in on it. God, we could have just ignored him. If he turns us in, he ruins his whole career. But you're all so busy talking about a grand revenge, who can a word in?! You beat yourselves by being so stupid." Butch moaned, favoring his broken leg. 

"We would have had him if not for that stupid Piouso. Steal that and he's just James, a little wimp with a medical license. Ooo, he makes me so mad, my beautiful face will take weeks to perfect again, all these nasty burns and scratches. He's dead meat," Jessie whined, smacking her Arbok," And you're in a lot of trouble. How dare you turn on your master."

"Arbok…." It said timidly, looking at the floor.

"Do whatever you like….It really doesn't matter to me cause I quit!" Cassidy announced, tying a final knot on the boss' head.

"You can't quit! I forbid it." Giovanni raged, his Persian hissing.

"Rant all you want old man, but I've had it with this team. I've got plenty of money saved from my checks to leave and you have nobody but Jessie and Butch left to push around. I'm going back into the advertising racket. At least I got some respect there and got to keep my dignity. This team is beyond embarrassment." She seethed, heading for the door.

"You can't leave this team. I won't allow such insubordination. You stop right now or….I'll…." Giovanni began, but Cassidy finished for him.

"Shoot me? With what, spit balls. Face it boss man, you've got no guns, no Pokemon but that worthless feline, and only two dolts working for you. Try and stop me, I've got better things to do with my life than keep on wasting it." Cassidy said sarcastically, shoving the door open.

"Wait, Cassidy!" Butch called, hobbling after her, leaning on a piece of wood.

"Don't try to stop me, Butch. I've made up my mind." Cassidy replied.

"I'm not going to do that. I wanted to know if you could give me a lift home. Team Rocket ain't worth stomaching without my partner, so why stomach it at all? I'm quitting too." He said back, teetering a little.

She smiled and gestured with her head to follow, disappearing out the door. "You two have fun….we're moving on. So long suckers." Butch called back, hobbling out after Cassidy and slamming the door behind him.

"We'll get them later, Jessie, you'll see. No one disrespects Team Rocket and gets away with it. I'll make them all sorry." Giovanni proclaimed.

Jessie and Arbok just stared at him, then at each other. "Cork it, boss."

She said, then began tossing rolls of bandages while Arbok flung old, crunched soda cans as well at the Persian and its master.

"Argh, stop it. The head, watch the head!" he screamed.

"ARBOK! Arbok….bok!" Jessie's Pokemon yelled. "Yeah, nail him, Arbok! Now I'm second in command, and from now on, I'll have some say in your plans and a better paycheck too! I'm your only member so you better treat me good if you want me to stay!" Jessie yelled.

"All right, all right, just stop that crazy thing! STOP! Argh, I'd rather face Piouso than this everyday!" he yelled. "No more James hunting garbage for a long time. Now we do this Jessie style. Hah ahahahahaaaaa!" Jessie laughed, tossing things at her boss as the full moon rose outside.

**_The End….Or is it?_**


End file.
